100th soldier killed in Afganistan

[Andyhsufc]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7443331.stm

With a horrible milestone now being reached in Afghanistan, do you think the war they are fighting in is for a worthy cause??

 

[TrueBlue]

Yes the war is worthy I feel but in retrospect how many Afghans have we killed!!!

Still a salute to them brave 100 Soldiers who have given their lives!

RIP to you all!

 

[Firestorm]

I am honestly unsure what we are actually fighting for out there ?
I know we (the west) assisted the Taliban to overthrow the Russian backed govenment after the 1980 invasion, and I was aware we had sent troops out to assist the Americans in the search for Bin Laden, but as he is thought to be in Pakistan anyway I really don't know why we are out there.

I did read once that the Americans wanted to put in a US-sympathetic government in place so they could run a massive oil pipeline across afghanistan (but that may have been a "Micheal moore" conspiracy)

 

[Slipperduke]

It was never ****ing worthy. It never made sense on any level. The British have suffered in Afghanistan every time they've gone in there and we never, ever learn. The crippling irony that we spent most of the 80s training and funding the very people killing our troops right now is just an extra-special cherry on the cake.

We've been there since 2001, I believe, which makes the conflict slightly longer than World War 2. At the time, when the Americans made their so-quick-a-cynic-would-suggest-they'd-planned-it-in-advance decision to go in, it was supposed to be a quick strike against a rag-tag bag of bums. Anyone with a passing knowledge of history would know that you don't do quick strikes in Afghanistan. If the well funded Red Army, who dispensed with the inconvenient restrictions of frivolities like the Geneva Convention couldn't take the country, then why did we think we could with an army that our Government can't even be bothered to properly fund.

I don't doubt for a moment the courage and professionalism of our troops who, from everything I've read, have been an absolute credit to the proud name of our country. It's the ***** who sent them there without the proper equipment and without a clearly defined political aim that **** me right off.

I join True Blue in a salute for the 100.

 

[canveyshrimper]

As ever politicians never learn from history, the British tried to subjugate the Afghans in the 1840's only to have our @rses kicked back up the Khyber. A similar venture earned a similar kicking in the 1870's. And I believe there was another ill judged venture early in the 20th century.

The full might of the Soviet military could not subjugate them in the 80's, so what chance do we have now. The aim of Bush was to bomb them back to the stone age, but why? They are already in the stone age. IMO Afghanistan is unconquerable & ungovernable for the west so we should get our collective @arses out of there immediately.

I join TB & Slipper in a salute for our troops braver men then I'll ever be.

RIP the 100, and I hope there are no more.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Echo the sentiments, pointless in my opinion but every respect for those who have died in service and those still there in service. From a personal perspective, I know of one young lad who is completely f***** up from his father having been posted out there for a year, and leaving a very troubled son here with future step mother.

 

[BrettieAngell]

Seems like a pretty pointless war to me.

Rip the 100 who have lost their lives out there.

 

[MK Shrimper]

Absolutely pointless unwinnable war. RIP to every soldier killed in Afghanistan or in Iraq thanks to Bush's insatiable desire for oil.

Lets just hope Obama gets elected, for another 4 years of a Republican war mongering just doesn't bare thinking about.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Yes the war is worthy I feel but in retrospect how many Afghans have we killed!!!

Still a salute to them brave 100 Soldiers who have given their lives!

RIP to you all!

The poppy seems a particularly apt symbol for Afghanistan.

 

[TrueBlue]

The poppy seems a particularly apt symbol for Afghanistan.

Indeed it is

 

[TrueBlue]

Absolutely pointless unwinnable war. RIP to every soldier killed in Afghanistan or in Iraq thanks to Bush's insatiable desire for oil.

Lets just hope Obama gets elected, for another 4 years of a Republican war mongering just doesn't bare thinking about.

If Obama gets elected he will be dead within a month

 

[MK Shrimper]

If Obama gets elected he will be dead within a month

Well lets hope not or America could fall into race wars.

 

[TrueBlue]

Well lets hope not or America could fall into race wars.

Indeed but you can see it happening!

 

[MK Shrimper]

Indeed but you can see it happening!

I reckon he'll be so surrounded by secret service that no one will get near him, let alone a few crazed redneck racists.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZgHH72G8wQ&feature=related

 

[SUFC Forever]

The war is a disgrace in every way and history in time will judge it as so. Bush and Blair should be brought to account for all the lies told to get America and GB involved in this - something that everybody knows is completely about oil. If tyranny and democracy truly is something that they were concerned about, why have they not tried going into Zimbabwe and sorting out the situation with Mugabwe there?

I have the greatest admiration for the soldiers and military who have been sent to fight the war and join everybody else in mourning the loss of the 100 Brits killed there so far and indeed everybody killed in this pointless conflict no matter where they are from. I also despise the politicians who sent them off to die on the back of all the lies told - they know fully well it is an unwinnable situation but will never withdraw as that would now be political suicide and the end of their careers for sure. Bush, Blair and Brown have the blood of many on their hands and hopefully for this they will pay someday too.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

It is interesting to read people's attitudes towards Afghanistan.

As I recall it, military action in Afghanistan was broadly supported and certainly not opposed to the extent the war in Iraq was. I wonder how much people's attitudes towards Afghanistan have been shaped by Iraq.

Personally I don't think I knew enough about Afghanistan to reach an informed decision and I still don't. The decision to invade Iraq was however a far more high profile decision and I think I knew enough then - and events since have done little to change my mind - that it was an ill-considered decision hastily made with little thought of the consequences.

 

[Firestorm]

I really feel for our current batch of soldiers, seamen etc.

They are now expected to fight for causes which will (in 99% of the cases) will have little or no bearing on their lives. The days of fighting to defend your country are gone. Our armed forces are our contribution to an Alliance which seems to spend its time defending far weaker members and support its more warmongering ones. These boys are being thrown into someone elses argument after being told its ours.

 

[TrueBlue]

I really feel for our current batch of soldiers, seamen etc.

They are now expected to fight for causes which will (in 99% of the cases) will have little or no bearing on their lives. The days of fighting to defend your country are gone. Our armed forces are our contribution to an Alliance which seems to spend its time defending far weaker members and support its more warmongering ones. These boys are being thrown into someone elses argument after being told its ours.

So when we crush them and the price of oil comes down that wont effect their lives?

 

[MK Shrimper]

So when we crush them and the price of oil comes down that wont effect their lives?

Well both of those scenarios won't happen.