Afghanistan: 'British efforts have been squandered - but our intervention was not pointless'

Taliban forces patrolling in Kabul
Taliban forces patrolling in Kabul
Reuters
Gareth Milner

By Gareth Milner


Published: 16/08/2021

- 15:18

Updated: 16/08/2021

- 15:34

Current events are very much a humiliating end to the last 20 years of action in Afghanistan

On Friday, I woke to find the news that Taliban forces had taken Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital of Helmand Province in Afghanistan. Nine years ago, I was in the very same city as part of the British Intelligence element of Taskforce Helmand HQ.

That afternoon family and friends were set to attend my mother’s funeral service, after she sadly passed away in July. Up to that morning I had been managing to hold things together,but news of Lashkar Gah’s fall tipped me over the edge.


During Operation Herrick 16 I was not in the same amount of regular danger thousands of other troops were.

Taliban forces stand guard inside Kabul, Afghanistan August 16, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer
Taliban forces stand guard inside Kabul
Reuters

Yet the team I was part of read everything that happened in the province, from detailed after-action reports on bombs which killed British soldiers, to reports of Taliban locking schoolchildren inside classes and setting fire to them.

To this day, losing five colleagues at the front gate of Main Operating Base at Lashkar Gah still sticks in the throat.

Given my feelings about events in Afghanistan, I can only imagine what fellow service personnel saw and experienced on the front line and how they are feeling right now. I have spoken to several former colleagues about the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban. The consensus is gut-wrenching", "heartbroken’or simply "numb".

As a fan of Newcastle United Football club, I was once surprised to learn one Afghan citizen was fully aware of who former manager Sir Bobby Robson was.The young man was a Barcelona fan and knew everything from Jose Mourinho to Pep Guardiola.

I wonder if he is still alive and whether he has an opinion about Messi’smove to PSG. The same goes for the barber we trusted to cut our hair on tour. There is more that unites us than divides us.

Current events are very much a humiliating end to the last 20 years of action in Afghanistan, there is little doubt about it. Many of those in the west professing to truly understand what is going on in Afghanistan probably does not fully comprehend the complexities of the situation.

British Forces from 16 Air Assault Brigade arrive in Kabul, Afghanistan, to provide support to British nationals leaving the country, as part of Operation PITTING after Taliban insurgents took control of the presidential palace in Kabul, August 15, 2021. Leading Hand Ben Shread/RAF/UK Ministry of Defence 2021/Handout via REUTERS   THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.
British Forces from 16 Air Assault Brigade arrive in Kabul,
Ben Shread/RAF/UK Ministry of Defence

But before criticising all politicians for foreign policy failures in the region, do take note of what some MPs like Johnny Mercer, Tom Tugendhat,and Dan Jarvis are saying. They have been there, done it and most likely have some horrific memories that live with to this day, perhaps the ultimate of lived experiences.

As memories of 9/11 start to fade 20 years after the tragic events, I can only imagine how British operations in Afghanistan will be viewed in another 20.

Have the actions of British troops been squandered? Yes.

Were they a mistake in the first place? No, they most definitely were not.

The British public have been very supportive of the armed forces during our time in Afghanistan. This support needs to continue for those who have lasting memories of trying to make a difference, and for the families of those who sadly did not make it back.

VLUU L310W L313 M310W / Samsung L310W L313 M310W
Helmand Province
Gareth Milner

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