Close to 200 British soldiers have died in Afghanistan since the war began in 2001. June 2009 was particularly brutal with 22 of the soldiers killed. Despite the overt pro-war propaganda campaign it has been reported in The Independent that 52% of the British Public want the troops to return home.
Loss of British Lives in Afghanistan
While on the one hand, the government has recently declared that its mission is accomplished, on the other it admits that it has only cleared a small area of 500 Taliban. The task involved 9000 troops and the lives of 22 soldiers. In the never-ending war in Afghanistan since 9/11, nearly 200 British lives have been lost on the battle-field.
Lance Corporal Joe Glenton who faces a court martial since failing to return to duty in Afghanistan recently spoke up about his experience in the anti-Taliban war. He realized that there was something absolutely incorrect about the way when he witnessed the attacks on the British army by the Afghans. He said, “The Afghan people were attacking us, even though our politicians said we were going in to help them. It came as a real shock" Joe could possibly face a two-year prison for his "horrendous" crime of not reporting back on a battle ground, the premise of which he was questioning.
Impact of the War on Afghanistan
As propagators of justice and peace, it is not easy to ignore the impact of the war in Afghanistan on the Afghan people. Recently an Afghan MP, Malalai Joya, addressed the British at an event held by a coalition of anti-war groups called “Stop the War.” She described how the war was in fact taking the Afghan people back in time. According to figures, over 2,800 Afghan civilians were killed in 2008. This is a 40% jump since 2007.
Joya bravely admitted “For expressing my views I have been expelled from my seat in Parliament, and I have survived numerous assassination attempts. The fact that I was kicked out of office while brutal warlords enjoyed immunity from prosecution for their crimes should tell you all you need to know about the ‘democracy’ backed by Nato troops.”
Reasons Why Britain Should Not Be in Afghanistan
- The death rate is rising on both sides - The number of British troops who have died is now higher than those killed in 6 years in Iraq. Innocent lives of civilians are being lost daily in Afghanistan.
- This is a lost war - Britain has attempted to go at war with Afghanistan in the past and history has proven that the Afghans always prevail. In Joya's words the Afghan people do not like submission.
- The UK government claims the war is about combating terrorism - MI5 told the government the Iraq occupation was likely to increase not decrease terrorism. Similarly before Afghan war, there was no threat of terrorism at the hand of "Muslims."
- Life is getting worst for Afghan children -According to Save the Children, anti-Taliban forces are recruiting child soldiers to fight in the war. Unborn children will also be dying
- The war is spreading to Pakistan - More innocent lives are being lost and peace is being disrupted.
- Afghans are being made homeless as a result of war - Hundreds of thousands of people are being made internally displaced or turned into refugees. This is giving rise to health and security problems, as is more frustration. Far more is spent on the war and the military than is spent on reconstruction.
- Britain can spend on unemployment rather than waste the money on war – Each year 4.6 billion pounds are spent by the UK on wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. This is enough to create jobs for 200,000 graduates each year. The army is using the unemployment in the country to its advantage by enticing youngsters towards army recruitment.
- The war in Afghanistan is not liberating women - Mortality at birth is rising and the education system for girls has not improved since the Taliban left seven years ago. Less than 10% of Afghan girls can read and write.
Given the above conditions, it is no wonder that the majority of British want to see their troops returning from Afghanistan. In two recent polls 56% (BBC and Guardian) and 59% (ITN) want the troops out. The Independent only reaffirmed this opinion with 52% British agreeing with the polls above.
Reference:
www.stopthewar.org.uk
