What a pointless waste of lives.
Discussion
For what was being defended, the price paid is simply too high. Until someone in government can come up with an effective, properly funded solution, we should bring them all home.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-14084662
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-14084662
V88Dicky said:
So, tragic as it is, their lives are worth more than the ones who've gone before?
Why should we pull out now after 300+ lives and not after 100+ back ib
I wasn't suggesting their lives were more important than any others.Why should we pull out now after 300+ lives and not after 100+ back ib
I was suggesting that their deaths seemed pointless, considering the nature of the patrol, to just be picked off like that.
And I bet you that a politician somewhere has an arbitrary figure for losses that will trigger a big scale down or pull out.
The Russians never managed it even with all their military resources.
pacman1 said:
The Russians never managed it even with all their military resources.
The British didn't manage it last time around, even at the height of the power of the empire.However, in my opinion, we took a functional, if highly distasteful society, and broke it. We have a responsibility to get it back on its feet, even if that costs us as a society.
pacman1 said:
singlecoil said:
Next time, put the topic in the thread title.
I posted in NP&E, you clicked on the thread and then on the link. Wasn't that hard was it? If this is the sum total of your input then please don't waste your time by posting further.pokethepope said:
Pulling out before the job is done is worse than starting the pointless war in the first place IMO (see Vietnam, but at least this one has a chance of leaving the country in a modicum of stability if we complete the job).
There is no chance of stability in Afghanistan, not even a modicum. You're right about pointless, so why waste more lives for nothing?
You say about leaving the 'country'... do you realise how big Afghanistan is?
We are in Helmand, just one province of this very large and very dangerous country.
Helmand is just a small part -see red area.
Poke your head outside even in Helmand and you'll get shot at.
Poke your head outside the province and it'll get blown off!
It's all a bloody waste of lives and money, that's why Cameron wants the dead (and badly injured) now to exit the back door virtually unseen at Brize Norton.
When will we ever learn?
as the lyrics of the old Pete Seeger 60s song goes...
Never.
dandarez said:
It's all a bloody waste of lives and money, that's why Cameron wants the dead (and badly injured) now to exit the back door virtually unseen at Brize Norton.
Indeed. It's a pretty poor way to treat those who have fallen.supersingle said:
BBC article said:
The coroner recorded a verdict of unlawful killing.
Who's law? For a coroner to be involved and to have arrived at such a verdict seems to add an air of domestic mundaneness.
A toning down of events for public consumption if you will. If this sort of policy behaviour is meant to embody
the values our armed forces are loosing their lives to protect, I'm surprised they are able to recruit anyone.
It strikes me as odd that people still seem unsure as to why we are even in Afghanistan yet voice a clear opinion that we should retreat. We are there to deny the taleban a base and a source of income, this being the opium the farmers are forced to harvest rather than crops to sell or feed the village. The opium comes into the west and feeds the drug business worldwide. My opinion on this is the less that enters the UK is a good thing. We are also there to train an Afgahn national army and to facilitate a democratic election process. This isn't a land grab exercise or an enforcement of UK might against those who do not want it but it would appear many people are confusing matters.
singlecoil said:
And don't waste people's time by posting teaser titles. If the topic is worth discussing, put it in the title.
Agreed, teaser thread titles are irritating.I don't believe Afghanistan will ever be 'tamed' and will probably revert back to it's natural state once the troops have gone, so a sad waste of life either way, might as well pull out now.
singlecoil said:
And don't waste people's time by posting teaser titles. If the topic is worth discussing, put it in the title.
Who the feck made you king? Tit.Guffy said:
Agreed, teaser thread titles are irritating.
I don't believe Afghanistan will ever be 'tamed' and will probably revert back to it's natural state once the troops have gone, so a sad waste of life either way, might as well pull out now.
I apologise for your irriation. I am not averse to criticism when due, and I'm happy to take it from someone who has also contributed to the subject matter of the thread.I don't believe Afghanistan will ever be 'tamed' and will probably revert back to it's natural state once the troops have gone, so a sad waste of life either way, might as well pull out now.
That's absolutely fine.
However, simply posting what you don't like about a poster's thread without meaningful contribution serves to derail, is no better than trolling and bloody well irritates me
There was a documentary on TV last week, after watching it, I can see that being in Afghanistan is a total waste of lives, money and resources.
The presenter gave the startling fact that we - the British - had 1000 troops in an area half the size of England. The troops were spread around in small groups, holed up in little towns, where they spent all there time in small walled compound's defending themselves from constant attacks, and having the occasional excursion into the surrounding country side, and the a few foot patrols in the local town.
Imagine that, 1000 troops in an area half the size of England!! When the US took over, they moved in with 20,000 troops - It is pointless us being there, totally pointless.
The presenter gave the startling fact that we - the British - had 1000 troops in an area half the size of England. The troops were spread around in small groups, holed up in little towns, where they spent all there time in small walled compound's defending themselves from constant attacks, and having the occasional excursion into the surrounding country side, and the a few foot patrols in the local town.
Imagine that, 1000 troops in an area half the size of England!! When the US took over, they moved in with 20,000 troops - It is pointless us being there, totally pointless.
pablo said:
It strikes me as odd that people still seem unsure as to why we are even in Afghanistan yet voice a clear opinion that we should retreat. We are there to deny the taleban a base and a source of income, this being the opium the farmers are forced to harvest rather than crops to sell or feed the village. The opium comes into the west
and feeds the drug business worldwide. My opinion on this is the less that enters the UK is a good thing. We are also there to train an Afgahn national army and to facilitate a democratic election
process. This isn't a land grab exercise or an enforcement of UK might against those who do not want it but it would appear many people are confusing matters.
Have you been watchIng FOX News?and feeds the drug business worldwide. My opinion on this is the less that enters the UK is a good thing. We are also there to train an Afgahn national army and to facilitate a democratic election
process. This isn't a land grab exercise or an enforcement of UK might against those who do not want it but it would appear many people are confusing matters.
The invasion is proving very profitable for certain people, notably military contractors and the companies receiving rights to exploit Afghanistan's enormous natural resources.
FYI opium production in Afganistan has exploded since we invaded, with much of the cash going the senior members of the Afghan government. It's become a Narco-state, riddled with corruption from top to bottom. The coalition no longer destroy crops as it ruins poor farmers and creates too much resentment, feeding support for the Taleban.
Democracy and nation buidling?
Not a hope in hell.
pacman1 said:
singlecoil said:
And don't waste people's time by posting teaser titles. If the topic is worth discussing, put it in the title.
Who the feck made you king? Tit.The other reason for avoiding teaser titles is in order to prevent/reduce reposts. Anyone considering posting on a particular subject is quite likely to scan the last few pages to see if anyone else has brought it up recently, but obviously if a thread title gives no clue as to the content then how is the intending thread starter to know he is reposting?
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