As more troops for Afghanistan were announced, a chilling cartoon in The Times showed troops marching smartly up the steps into one side of an aircraft, while Union Jack covered coffins were carried down from the other side. Questions are now being raised both in Parliament and in the media about whether we have sent enough troops, whether they have the right kit, and whether they should be there at all.
The initial Afghanistan operation was a direct response to the 9/11 attacks on the Washington and New York nearly 5 years ago. Unlike the Iraq 2003 invasion, the international community rallied to support the American-led operation to destroy the al-Qaeda training camps in late 2001. The Taleban regime fell, and the United Nations supported the development of democracy, which has led to the Afghan government of Hamad Karzai. In October 2001, Jack Straw, made a promise that we would help the rebuilding of Afghanistan into a viable democratic state, so that terrorists could no longer have a safe haven there.
Like so much else, the unnecessary intervention in Iraq in 2003 spoiled this plan. The subsequent chaos in Iraq meant that the problems of Afghanistan were put on the back burner. Hamad Karzai asked for 50,000 troops to help him secure the country. NATO sent a tenth of that number, and could do little more than secure the capital, Kabul. Meanwhile, the United States continued its offensive operations in the east of the country to try to find Osama bin Ladin using special forces and airpower. Gradually NATO has extended reconstruction to the north and west; but the south and east along the border with Pakistan have remained bandit country. The opium poppy harvest has flourished, and finds its way to the streets of Britain.
Left unchallenged, the Taleban would return and with them the training of terrorists. The only way for Afghan farmers to make money would be through poppy growing. These are direct threats to our security at home. NATO, after much heart searching, agreed this year to extend its mission again. British forces have taken on the support of reconstruction in Helmand province, and will also provide the bulk of the NATO headquarters staff in Kabul for some time. Given that the local warlords, drug producers and Taleban insurgents have had a free run for the past 4 years, this was always going to be a difficult mission.
The British deployment is a serious military force, but is small in number. Their mission is to help Afghan security forces to control a large and inhospitable province, and to assist with reconstruction. We are still in the early stages of deployment. NATO does not take over responsibility for the area from the US until the end of July. Commanders are exploring their sectors and establishing contacts with the local authorities. An early opportunity to exploit the northern sector of Helmand led to the announcement of more British troops being deployed over the next three months.
There is much speculation about whether yet more forces will be needed. What is clear is that more transport helicopters would help. The terrain is difficult and vehicles are liable to ambush or bombs. Troops can get in fast by Chinook or other helicopters, and can be reinforced. Troops pinned down by ambushes also rely on air support – ground attack Harriers or Apache helicopters – to bring firepower to bear on the enemy quickly. The signs are that they may need more of this. Yet if this becomes a campaign that increasingly has to use air power to remain safe, it will have moved from supporting reconstruction to fighting an Afghan war. Historians warn of the dangers of becoming bogged down in such a war.
Afghanistan is different from Iraq. It did represent a direct threat to the UK, and left to descend into anarchy can do so again. We now struggle to sustain adequate military forces for both operations. All this is another salutory reminder of what a catastrophic event the March 2003 Iraq operation has proved to be for the security of Britain.
Air Marshal Lord Garden is the Lib Dem Defence spokesman in the Lords, and a former assistant chief of the defence staff.