Langeleben

Gordon · Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 7:53 am Post subject: Afghanistan

On a holiday visit to the parish kirk in Cromarty a poignant memorial caught my eye. It commemorated the death of Lieutenant Hugh Ross in Afghanistan. Nothing to do with the current conflict there, however. Lt Ross died in 1879 during the Second Afhgan War, having attempted to conceal the onset of dysentry in his eagerness to get to the action. As someone wisely said: those who don't learn from history are condemned to repeat it. June was the deadliest month for foreign troops there since 2001, and civilian casualties are up roughly 50%. One is tempted to ask (yet again) what good we are doing there. Perhaps the government could start listening to the military, especially those who warn against the folly of attempting to fight two major wars simultaneously. The Russians might also have some good advice for us after their own disastrous intervention in that barren land.

Gordon

David Thomas · Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 9:01 am Post subject:

Hi Gordon.
It seems we never learn. Many of us must have sat and wondered what on earth we were doing going to war in Afghanistan. How hollow ring the words of John Reid when he said at the time “Our soldiers might come back without a shot being fired!” As I’ve mentioned before, I was part of the ceasefire monitoring operation in Rhodesia back in ‘79/80 when over the Christmas period Russia decided to take on the Taleban forces in Afghanistan with initially some 80,000 troops. It’s ironic, that after so very few years, the locals who, at the time were seen as downtrodden heroes are now our bitter enemies; and both escapades are viewed as unmitigated disasters. But then what do we know, we’re not highly paid politicians with all the resources of governments behind us? All the best. Dave T.
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Dave Thomas 2 Sqn 13 SR, '63-'66

Gordon · Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 10:51 am Post subject: Afghanistan

Dave

You write to the point. Two aspects of the Afghanistan tragedy particularly concern me:

The first is that a major component in the problem is the insatiable craving for drugs in the West, fostering criminality and corruption at every stage of the supply chain. I believe we are actually making that worse.

The second is the unreliability of our "allies" along the Pakistan/Afghan border. Some need to make up their minds which side they are on.

Some day, I trust, there will be enquiries into how we ever got embroiled in Iraq and Afghanistan. But I'm not holding my breath.

Gordon

David Thomas · Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 12:10 pm Post subject:

Hi Gordon,
The growing of poppies and production of drugs in Afghanistan has got quite a mixed press. Initially the Americans (I think) decided to solve the problem by destroying the crops; apparently this destroyed the local subsistence economy and reportedly drove the population into the arms of terrorists. So the policy had to change to allow some drug production. Quite how we have reached the current situation where around 90% of Heroin comes from the area and fuels untold harm and misery in the western world. You rightly say this spores criminality and corruption to the detriment of whole societies. To my mind if the crop doesn’t exist, then it can’t do the harm, and the resultant rectification of the local economy shouldn’t be beyond the wit of man. Your point on “allies” is well made, but I don’t see a way out of it, and as for there ever being a meaningful enquiry into the reasons for going into Afghanistan, no doubt it will take place soon after a similar on into our going into Iraq! All the best. Dave T.
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Dave Thomas 2 Sqn 13 SR, '63-'66

paul croxson · Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2008 7:32 am Post subject:

It has always bewildered me why the Governments do not buy the entire heroin crop in its poppy form.
Surely even in these straightened times they can outbid the Mafia and the Yardies.


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