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Another tragic episode in Britain's Afghan adventure
By Con Coughlin World Last updated: March 26th, 2012
The deaths of another two British soldiers in Afghanistan brings home the sacrifices that are still required of our Armed Forces as we undertake the Herculean task of trying to bring some sense of stability to Afghanistan.
Earlier I wrote about the sobering effect of visiting the British war cemetery in Kabul, which contains poignant memorials to the casualties of two centuries of British involvement in Afghanistan. And while our experience today in Helmand cannot be compared to the horrors of the First Afghan War – when an entire British brigade was wiped out – the latest fatalities bring home the enormous challenge we face in trying to defeat the Taliban.
According to the available reports, the shootings were the result of an Afghan officer taking exception to the refusal of two British sentries to grant him access to the base. But the fact that something so trivial could result in two soldiers losing their lives is an indication of how high feelings are running in Afghanistan in the wake of the recent Koran-burning episode.
Many Afghans are still incensed that American soldiers burnt copies of the Koran – an act of breath-taking stupidity. Not surprisingly many of the Afghans I have spoken to in recent days are looking forward to the day when Nato finally packs up its kit-bags and heads for home.
Having said that, though, my Afghan friends are equally concerned that, unless they have adequate support from the West, the Taliban will come marching back into power the moment Nato is gone. And that is the dilemma all sides face as we enter the challenging period where Nato gradually hands control of the country to the Afghan security forces.
Clearly we are entering a very challenging period during this difficult transition phase, and what we need are cool heads rather than tragic misunderstandings such as this,
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发表于 2012-3-28 11:20
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发表于 2012-3-30 13:40
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