Better ways to spend £2.5bn
MR Cooper reminds us why Afghanistan was invaded "Troops must be better equipped" (Your Views, July 21). I do not think any of us were in doubt of the reason, which was to defeat terrorism.
What many people cannot understand is why the Allied powers thought that they could succeed where the British Empire and the USSR, at the height of their powers, had failed in the past.
If we had spent the £2.5 billion which the invasion has cost this country to protect our borders from terrorists , the lives of the 300-plus armed forces killed, not to mention the thousands of others wounded both physically and mentally, would have been saved and, I suspect, we would all be far safer from terrorists.
All we can do now is withdraw with as much dignity as we can muster as soon as face-saving will allow.
DEREK ALLWRIGHT
Ancaster Gardens
Wollaton
11 Comments
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by FW, Nottingham
Saturday, July 31 2010, 1:04AM
“
oh dear, 7/11 was a direct consequence of us invading iraq,
Why would a convenience store result from the invasion of Iraq?”
by Ted Mc, C/B
Friday, July 30 2010, 8:32AM
“M.
sarcasm instead of debate undermines your credibility.”
by m, gedling
Friday, July 30 2010, 4:21AM
“"(__"The lie that we invaded Iraq to keep our streets safe has been shown to be palpably false, and counterproductive"!__)
That is your lie.
It was never the reason given by Blair."
oh dear, 7/11 was a direct consequence of us invading iraq,
obviously blairs reason was the overwhelming evidence of weapons of mass destruction and the fact that his bezzie mate was a short ars ameriican git called bush,”
by m, gedling
Friday, July 30 2010, 4:12AM
“i tend to err on the side of mr sensible
"There's only so much you can do to defeat terrorism at its source in your boarders.
We need to defeat this at its source. "
you cant say fairer than that, lol
where exactly is our borders again ?”
by Ted Mc, C/B
Wednesday, July 28 2010, 11:27AM
“I disagree with your opinion on the support for the terrorists/Taliban, the claims of Pakistan Secret Service support for them has yet to be cleared up.
Muslims were in control of Afghanistan after the Russians left, they take the blame for the direction THEY chose to take.
Err, "to do with terrorism"? have you forgotten that you involved Iraq in your earlier post?
(__"The lie that we invaded Iraq to keep our streets safe has been shown to be palpably false, and counterproductive"!__)
That is your lie.
It was never the reason given by Blair.
I agree with your point about the UN.
Apart from your claim about lies, needless deaths and the ruination (RUINATION!!??) of our civil liberties, I pretty much agree with the rest of your post.”