The Continuing Failure of NATO in Afghanistan

Former Scots Guard, Captain Leo Docherty (Rtd.), is quite correct when saying that our presence in Afghanistan is a "huge political failure".

His comments are timely as they correspond with the thoughts of the Parliamentary Defence Select Committee (PDSC) who claimed that it was "deeply concerned" about what was happening in Afghanistan. In addition, the PDSC urged NATO to send more troops to the country; and that they should come from Germany and France in particular.

It is clear that Britain, the US, and Canada is currently bearing the majority of military and financial cost in this theatre of operations. Whilst Britain has approximately 7,000 British military personnel in southern Afghanistan, it is surely impossible to take and hold all Taliban strongholds in such a vast area.

The original plan for Helmand Province was for security and reconstruction to take place in conjunction with one another. However, the level of activity between British soldiers and the Taliban has ensured that reconstruction is not afforded the attention that is required. Hence, The Afghans return to their poppy growing.

So, once again the history of Afghanistan is ignored. The 1st Afghan War, the 2nd Afghan War, the Russian occupation ...