A lot has happened since I wrote an article on 5th
September 2009 entitled, ‘Union Jack’*. I was bemoaning the fact that corpses
of members of our armed forces were being brought home from Afghanistan and that
Gordon Brown had justified the cost to finish the job that had been started in
2001.
That conflict with the Taliban continues today, but there is
some hope however that an orderly withdrawal of military personnel will
commence from September of next year. David Cameron has been meeting members of
the National Security Council and there are hopes that he will agree a
timetable for withdrawal so that the majority of our military forces will be
brought home by the end of 2014. The current strength of personnel in
Afghanistan is 9,000, and from September, 2013, a gradual withdrawal would commence
until around 1,000 remain for logistical support and for protecting supply
lanes.
The cost of this conflict can best be measured in terms of
loss of life, grief and devastation, as 438 British soldiers and civilians have
lost their lives, not forgetting the enormous losses suffered by US and NATO forces.
Not least, the Afghan people have suffered greatly, but the price that has been paid
has brought about significant changes for the better, for now young
girls can look to a future, with a chance of being educated, even able to vote
when of age.
Malala Yousufzai, the 15-year-old girl who was shot in the head by
the Taliban has been instrumental in empowering females within that male
dominated country. She wrote a diary blog for BBC Urdu reflecting her life
under the Taliban and for her courageous honesty she became a target for assassination.
They did not succeed.
Links
*Union Jack
David Cameron set
to decide on Afghanistan withdrawal timetable
Mother Teresa award for Afghan activist and Pakistani girl
shot by Taliban
Malala
Yousufzai's classmates return to school
Malala Yousafzai
