UK troops out of Afghanistan - What are your views?

1. 66

   BristolBoyposted 15 years ago

   With the news that a further 8 UK service personnel have died in Afghanistan in the last 24 hours it means that deaths in this war now exceed those due to the Iraq conflict.  As a result calls are increasing for the troops to be pulled out.  What are your views on the matter?

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      Army Infantry Momposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      I have read many articals regaurding this subject. My opinion is listen to the one's who's fighting.
      
      Defense Secretary Bob Ainsworth told Parliament that British forces are involved in hazardous, hand-to-hand combat and cannot accomplish their goals from the relative safety of helicopters and heavily armored vehicles.
      
      "Our people have to get out," he said."They understand that and I think the British public accepts that."
      http://www.mymotherlode.com/news/world/ … fghanistan
      
      I also join in on a lot of disscusion boards with US Soldier's and alot of them are saying it's time to call it a day. Pull them out.

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   2. 59

      usmanali81posted 15 years agoin reply to this

      All the troops must get out of Afghanistan, they can return there as tourists.

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         earnestshubposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         I agree but it will be some time before the  war stops and tourism is safe.

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2. 61

   JonTutorposted 15 years ago

   That means one of our last trusted friends is pulling out... Our troops are gonna feel the pinch.

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   1. 66

      BristolBoyposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Well at the moment the government doesn't appear to have any plans to pull out, but elections are due within about a year and then anythign could happen.  At the moment though there doesn't seem to be the clamour from the general public to get the troops out, mainly because it was always seen as a legitimate war.  The funny thing is the increase in deaths may actually be a sign that plans to get rid of the Taliban in Afghanistan are actually working, as I heard that the US were doing a troop surge in the country similar to the one in Iraq, particularly around the lawless areas which surround the UK bases etc, so maybe the Taliban are being forced into conflict with the British forces.  However, I find it awful when I hear that soldiers are dying because of lack of suitable equipment.  Read that in some forward UK bases the shooting is limited to save ammunition and due to lack of supplies even when body armour/helmets are damaged new ones aren't supplied.

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         JonTutorposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         They expect our troops to fight... yet they don't even have basic things.... Gosh... those politicians...they may not have there own family fighting there.. Money isn't worth more than a soldiers life.

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   Uninvited Writerposted 15 years ago

   You still have the Canadian troops. We've lost about 120 over there so far, it might be more.

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      Make Moneyposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Yeah the Canadian troop loss in Afghanistan is up to 124 now.
      http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/s … TopStories
      
      2011 is suppose to be the end date for the Canadian mission in Afghanistan.
      http://www.cbc.ca/news/canadavotes/stor … istan.html
      
      It can't come too soon as far as I'm concerned.

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         Make Moneyposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         The count is up to 125 for the Canadian troop loss in Afghanistan now.  Just this past week there was a poll that came out in the news showing that only just over a third of Canadians support the Afghanistan mission now.  Yep it's time to pull them out.
         
         Venugopal there is no one that can justify the war in Iraq because it was brought about with faulty intelligence.

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4. 81

   LondonGirlposted 15 years ago

   I think the war in Afghanistan is a lot more justified and necessary that that in Iraq.

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      Army Infantry Momposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      I think the war was justified in Afghanistan,...7 1/2 years ago. I hear nothing spokin about Bin Laden, well untill a few days ago, perhaps Obama caught wind that a lot of his people were raising that same fact. I believe the war in Iraq was wrong and even more wrong was the fact the Soldier's in Afghanistan was totally forgotten about. If those Troops would of been supplied like the Soldier's in Iraq and the combat missions would of been run by others than the pen pushers in Washington, No doubt in my mind, we would of had accomplished much more, perhaps got Bin Laden and would of been home. Now they say let's surge,..good and dandy, but if thats the case our Governments the US and Britian really need to step up to the plate and give what our Troops ask for and get it to them promptly. Not debate about it. They also have to forget putting rules on these Soldier's. I know personally speaking about out US Military, I know they go out of the way to avoid innocent lifes being takin and often put their lives in jeopardy because of that. Nohow, Noway, will any of our Troops be sucessful with lack of equipment and non sense rules. I think we're at a time where the people has to stand up and demand if we're going to do this, we do it right or we pull out.

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5. 64

   Mishaposted 15 years ago

   How is that?

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6. 66

   BristolBoyposted 15 years ago

   According to a Guardian/BBC poll recently carried out UK support for the war in Afghanistan has actually increased since 2006. 
   
   http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8146977.stm

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7. 69

   Ralph Deedsposted 15 years ago

   I'm not at all sure what may reasonably be expected to be accomplished in Afghanistan, how much it will cost in lives and money and how long it will take. Our goal has never been clearly defined as far as I've seen. The more troops we send to Afghanistan, the more coalition troops and Afghans will be killed. And to what end?

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8. 61

   VENUGOPAL SIVAGNAposted 15 years ago

   I think everyone is finding justifications for war in Iraq and Afganistan. Some say Afgan war is justified and Iraq war is not justified. No one is inclined to back up the previous events which will justify the Iraq war. When Iraq annexed Kuwait in 1990 at the end  of Iraq-Iran war, the US had to intervene and rescue Kuwait. That war ended half-way, but Kuwait was liberated from Iraq by US.
   After 9/11, US sent troops to Afganistan in search of Al Qaeda. Without facing Iraq, US would not operate in Afganistan without facing Iraq. While Pakistan had other reasons to support US, Iraq's Saddam Hussain was a big barrier to US. So, it was a tactical decision to invade Iraq. No one would have thought the other way at that point of time.

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   1. 69

      Ralph Deedsposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      The invasion of Iraq was a reckless, stupid, unnecessary and costly error. Many people opposed the invasion and a fair number of representatives and senators in Congress voted against it. My wife and I marched in Detroit in February against the war before the invasion because whatever WMD Iraq had or was working on posed no threat to the United States. Iraq was a poor little pissant country which had no way of harming the United States. Moreover, it provided a counterweight to Iran and we had supported Iraq in its war with Iran. There was no rational reason for the invasion. Most people now agree that the invasion was a fool's errand.

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9. 69

   waynetposted 15 years ago

   Yes our troops must pull out as fighting other countries wars is just a silly thing to do and they get killed for it, thank god we don't get forced into army service anymore or else I'd be effing dead!!!

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10. 71

    earnestshubposted 15 years ago

    Australia is starting to lose men too. Restructuring of the economies is needed all through these countries... Pakistan will be unable to stop the growth of terrorism until it deals with providing new and world standard infrastructure like housing, water and electricity.

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    Dame Scribeposted 15 years ago

    The Taliban stripped women and girls to have nothing. No education, no work, no skills and allowed religious leaders to *punish* women with gang-rape, beatings or stoned to death, by her village based solely on a accusation or malicious gossip? I don't think we should allow that. I don't think we should be supporting the *oil must flow* dogma over human life either but wasn't HR being violated in Iraq also? aren't our soldiers ousting the taliban and AQ while trying to help rebuild? Loss of our soldiers brings heartache but their services to help another from out of such abhorrent states is good. Such a catch-22 or conundrum. if I could, I would go over n slap one silly alongside our soldiers

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