In the past week, British soldiers fighting to takeover and hold Helmand Province from the Taliban have faced mounting casualties and it is no surprise that the folks back home are showing signs of being rattled. The British military lost 10 soldiers in the past week alone and the nation’s total of men killed in action in Afghanistan has officially passed those killed in Iraq, 179 to 184. The news of the losses, and photos like the one above, are causing British politicians to look for answers or people to blame and British civilians to question whether this sacrifice is worth the fight.
In many ways, the rise in casualties was to be expected as with the help of thousands of US troops, the British troops have been tasked with defeating the Taliban in their stronghold of Helmand, which borders Pakistan. As Gordon Brown and British military leaders are emphasizing, this is a crucial fight that will indeed be bloody. This has not stopped many in Britain, including the leader of the opposition Liberal Democratic Party MP Nick Clegg, from criticizing both the lack of sufficient troop equipment and the mission’s importance and chances of success. The issue of armored vehicles, or the British’s lack there of, is an especially hot topic.
For me, as long as the main debate topic is about how well the troops are equipped, instead of the mission’s vitalness or probability of success, I think that the mission will have the political and public support needed to continue, but just like here in the US, time is not unlimited. In November, a BBC poll conducted asked whether Britain ‘should withdraw its troops from Afghanistan within the next 12 months’, and of the 1,013 adults questioned, 68% said yes and 24% said they should stay.
This has been a trying week for the Brits to say the least, but the country seems to still have a strong will for the Afghanistan cause as this editorial from The Telegraph exemplifies:
The war in Afghanistan is being fought in the national interest, not for the benefit of any party. All three major parties need to come together to ensure that our soldiers have the support and leadership from the British state that they need and deserve. That they have not so far received it is the greatest scandal of the war.
(Photo: AFP:Getty Images)
