Stephen's Views on Afghanistan
I attend Prime Minister's Question Time every week, and it always begins with the sad announcement of the death of servicemen and women in the Armed Forces, some of whom have died at only eighteen years old. We must also not forget that each week, many more soldiers are maimed or injured. While our troops have ceased combat operations in Iraq, the increasingly severe conflict with the Taliban continues, without foreseeable end. I personally feel that the Government needs to have a clear statement of our objectives in Afghanistan.
I believe the British people understand the sacrifices that are inevitable in conflict - but the purpose of that conflict must be clearly explained and understood. For the last eight years, the Government has been sending mixed messages about the nature and purpose of this deployment. In July of 2009, we even saw the Prime Minister and the Defence Secretary each giving different justifications for the war.
Since our troops first stepped into Afghanistan, the Government strategy has been over-ambitious in aim and under-resourced in practice. The Government needs to commit the necessary resources, and set a reasonable goal, for the operations in Afghanistan. My colleagues and I will continue to press for our troops to have the equipment they need. The withdrawal of vital troops and equipment from Iraq will provide much-needed support to our efforts to bring stability to Afghanistan and reduce the threat of terrorism to British citizens.
But we need to be very clear about the limits of what we can achieve: military intervention can only ever be part of the solution. It may be able to contain problems, but not resolve them. To be effective, it must take place in the context of a much more forcefully coordinated political strategy. For this reason, we will also press the Government to make clear exactly what it aims to achieve through the continued military presence in Afghanistan.
This struggle is a difficult one, and the toll of the disastrous war in Iraq will no doubt cast an overbearing shadow over our ability to carry out the mission in Afghanistan. My generation and my parents' generation have been fortunate not to be called upon to defend our country's liberty. But we should not forget that many of our fellow citizens are still paying the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country.
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