MPs fearful over Afghan mission
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MPs fearful over Afghan mission
BBC, 6 April 2006. MPs fearful over Afghan mission
British troops preparing to deploy to Afghanistan face "fundamental tension" over their mission, MPs have warned.
The Commons Defence Committee said attempts to crack down on drug lords in the area, one of the troops' missions, could result in increased violence. The MPs also expressed concern that the 3,300-strong force lacked close air support and transport helicopters.
The Army is preparing to deploy the full task force, led by 16 Air Assault Brigade, to start operations in June.
'Significant obstacles'
The troops are intended to restore security and stability in the southern region of Helmand, which has recently seen outbreaks of violence by the Taleban. But they may also be asked to support anti-narcotics operations in the province, which has the highest concentration of opium poppy-growing in the country.
BBC world affairs correspondent Nick Childs said MPs are not yet sure what the troops will be required to do in Afghanistan. "But, according to them, it's likely that the more successful the deployment is in impeding the drugs trade, the more it'll be attacked, and the worse security will get," he said.
The MPs' report said the task force "faces significant obstacles, and the security situation is fragile. "The opium trade flourishes and the livelihoods of many people rely on it. There is therefore real tension between the tasks of achieving security and reducing the opium trade. "It is likely that the more successful the deployment is at impeding the drugs trade, the more it will come under attack from those involved in it."
Harrier withdrawal
The committee said that the Taleban, who are believed to number as many as 1,000, were becoming more active in the drug trade.
MPs also questioned the Ministry of Defence's decision to withdraw a squadron of RAF Harrier GR7 fighter-bombers from an air base at Kandahar. The commission said support from US and Dutch warplanes may not be sufficient.
The six Chinook and four Lynx helicopters currently assigned to the detachment may not be enough to support the troops in terrain which often impossible to cover, even with back-up from US and Dutch helicopters, according to the MPs.
They were also worried that the RAF's Hercules transport planes were not fitted with adequate "defensive aids suites" to prevent them being shot down from the ground.
British troops preparing to deploy to Afghanistan face "fundamental tension" over their mission, MPs have warned.
The Commons Defence Committee said attempts to crack down on drug lords in the area, one of the troops' missions, could result in increased violence. The MPs also expressed concern that the 3,300-strong force lacked close air support and transport helicopters.
The Army is preparing to deploy the full task force, led by 16 Air Assault Brigade, to start operations in June.
'Significant obstacles'
The troops are intended to restore security and stability in the southern region of Helmand, which has recently seen outbreaks of violence by the Taleban. But they may also be asked to support anti-narcotics operations in the province, which has the highest concentration of opium poppy-growing in the country.
BBC world affairs correspondent Nick Childs said MPs are not yet sure what the troops will be required to do in Afghanistan. "But, according to them, it's likely that the more successful the deployment is in impeding the drugs trade, the more it'll be attacked, and the worse security will get," he said.
The MPs' report said the task force "faces significant obstacles, and the security situation is fragile. "The opium trade flourishes and the livelihoods of many people rely on it. There is therefore real tension between the tasks of achieving security and reducing the opium trade. "It is likely that the more successful the deployment is at impeding the drugs trade, the more it will come under attack from those involved in it."
Harrier withdrawal
The committee said that the Taleban, who are believed to number as many as 1,000, were becoming more active in the drug trade.
MPs also questioned the Ministry of Defence's decision to withdraw a squadron of RAF Harrier GR7 fighter-bombers from an air base at Kandahar. The commission said support from US and Dutch warplanes may not be sufficient.
The six Chinook and four Lynx helicopters currently assigned to the detachment may not be enough to support the troops in terrain which often impossible to cover, even with back-up from US and Dutch helicopters, according to the MPs.
They were also worried that the RAF's Hercules transport planes were not fitted with adequate "defensive aids suites" to prevent them being shot down from the ground.
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UK Commons Defence Committee, BBC Report 6 April 2006:
Declan Walsh in Garmser, The Guardian, Friday April 7, 2006:
….. like every Afghan drugs lord, Haji Adam has little to fear from the law. Since the western-led war on drugs started four years ago only two major smugglers have been arrested - Haji Baz Muhammad, who was extradited to the US last October, and Bashir Noorzai, who was arrested in New York six months earlier. But the remainder are apparently untouchable.
Every year the drug lords effortlessly export 4,000 tonnes of opium across Afghanistan's borders, plugging into the Turkish, Iranian, Pakistani and Russian gangs that refine the drug into heroin for sale in Europe. But their strongest connections are at home. Allegations of drug links have persistently dogged some of Afghanistan's most powerful figures, including several governors, ministers and the president's brother, Walid Karzai. At least 17 of the 249 newly elected parliamentarians are smugglers, said analyst Andrew Wilder.
But the most serious charges hover over General Muhammad Daud, the deputy interior minister for counter narcotics. A senior drugs official said he was "99% sure" that Gen Daud had a stake in the trade he was supposed to be dismantling. "He frustrates counter-narcotics law enforcement when it suits him," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"He moves competent officials from their jobs, locks cases up and generally ensures that nobody he is associated with will get arrested for drugs crime."
Could it be that Bush and Bliar need to reappraise their strategy for Afghanistan? I think the solution lies a little closer to home than we are all led to believe (as usual).
There is therefore real tension between the tasks of achieving security and reducing the opium trade. "It is likely that the more successful the deployment is at impeding the drugs trade, the more it will come under attack from those involved in it."
….. like every Afghan drugs lord, Haji Adam has little to fear from the law. Since the western-led war on drugs started four years ago only two major smugglers have been arrested - Haji Baz Muhammad, who was extradited to the US last October, and Bashir Noorzai, who was arrested in New York six months earlier. But the remainder are apparently untouchable.
Every year the drug lords effortlessly export 4,000 tonnes of opium across Afghanistan's borders, plugging into the Turkish, Iranian, Pakistani and Russian gangs that refine the drug into heroin for sale in Europe. But their strongest connections are at home. Allegations of drug links have persistently dogged some of Afghanistan's most powerful figures, including several governors, ministers and the president's brother, Walid Karzai. At least 17 of the 249 newly elected parliamentarians are smugglers, said analyst Andrew Wilder.
But the most serious charges hover over General Muhammad Daud, the deputy interior minister for counter narcotics. A senior drugs official said he was "99% sure" that Gen Daud had a stake in the trade he was supposed to be dismantling. "He frustrates counter-narcotics law enforcement when it suits him," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"He moves competent officials from their jobs, locks cases up and generally ensures that nobody he is associated with will get arrested for drugs crime."
Could it be that Bush and Bliar need to reappraise their strategy for Afghanistan? I think the solution lies a little closer to home than we are all led to believe (as usual).
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The Commons Defence Committee said attempts to crack down on drug lords in the area, one of the troops' missions, could result in increased violence
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the Govt can therefore send the Womens Institute instead
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Commons Defence Committee
The Guardian
So it looks like we are due for a Spring offensive not only against the Taleban but also the Afghan government. Has this one really been thought out properly?
The troops are intended to restore security and stability in the southern region of Helmand, which has recently seen outbreaks of violence by the Taleban. But they may also be asked to support anti-narcotics operations in the province, which has the highest concentration of opium poppy-growing in the country.
Allegations of drug links have persistently dogged some of Afghanistan's most powerful figures, including several governors, ministers and the president's brother, Walid Karzai. At least 17 of the 249 newly elected parliamentarians are smugglers, said analyst Andrew Wilder.
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I don't think the MP's need to be fearful, its the poor sods on the ground who are in the poo. The Afghan people have a reputation for kicking ass. They beat us in the 19th century when we were the most powerful empire on earth. They gave the Russians a good doing over and if we are not very careful the same will happen to our boys. I find it unbelievable that there is a shortage of air support for our boys, just ten helicopters if the papers are to be believed. The heroin trade is the Afghans business and they will fight tooth and nail to defend it. Hang on though I have idea. Instead of spending billions of pounds chasing shadows in Afghanistan why not spend the money here wiping out the vile drug dealers in our own backyard. It wouldn't be hard to track these people down and get them off the streets. If we destroy the market for their poppy crop then perhaps they might grow less of it. Surely this would be a far better use of tax payers money, it might also save an awful lot of lives on both sides. 
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Dogfish, oh do get a grip. You've been warned time and time again to stop thinking logically. Your thoughts re: 'getting the drug dealers off the streets' cuts across the basic tenent of their basic human rights in earning a living to clothe and feed their poor families. Locking them up would only deprive their families of the breadwinner and throw them at the mercy of the social services budget, which, as you know is struggling to meet the demand. [No, wait a minute - it's a bottomless pot of cash on demand with no checks...]
Anyway, the judges in this country have an avowed aim, and that is to save the taxpayer money by avoiding the need to build more prisons and the cost of keeping people locked up. And with the police more concerned with the lucrative business of dicking motorists rather than chasing druggies and their suppliers off the streets, you can see where the considerable savings are made to the taxpayer.
Sod the troops, they're just a further drain on the economy, and anyway, by keeping them overseas, just think of the savings to the defence budget [and therefore the taxpayer] by reduced allowances when they're out of the country. As usual, they'll make do with the kit they are given to play with.
So all in all it's a win-win for me the taxpayer.
On the other hand, I would like an MP, any MP, with enough b*alls to stand up at PM question time and ask this question:
"Will the Prime Minister accept total and personal responsiblity for the death of every single serviceman in the Afghan theatre, in view of this government's inability to properly support and equip the troops and their support arms?"
Anyway, the judges in this country have an avowed aim, and that is to save the taxpayer money by avoiding the need to build more prisons and the cost of keeping people locked up. And with the police more concerned with the lucrative business of dicking motorists rather than chasing druggies and their suppliers off the streets, you can see where the considerable savings are made to the taxpayer.
Sod the troops, they're just a further drain on the economy, and anyway, by keeping them overseas, just think of the savings to the defence budget [and therefore the taxpayer] by reduced allowances when they're out of the country. As usual, they'll make do with the kit they are given to play with.
So all in all it's a win-win for me the taxpayer.
On the other hand, I would like an MP, any MP, with enough b*alls to stand up at PM question time and ask this question:
"Will the Prime Minister accept total and personal responsiblity for the death of every single serviceman in the Afghan theatre, in view of this government's inability to properly support and equip the troops and their support arms?"
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Better yet, stop the drug war and give freedom to people who wish to screw up their lives with drugs. Taking the crime out of drugs, thereby reducing the scarcity factor in their cost, would reduce overall crime committed by addicts.
As quid pro quo, eliminate all government financial support for rehab, welfare for addicts and such. Society wins by placing accountability for drug problems on the individuals who choose to use them self-destructively. Poppy production would devolve to the most efficient, and the flow of drug money to terrorists would ebb.
As quid pro quo, eliminate all government financial support for rehab, welfare for addicts and such. Society wins by placing accountability for drug problems on the individuals who choose to use them self-destructively. Poppy production would devolve to the most efficient, and the flow of drug money to terrorists would ebb.
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So, BT, given their incapacity to hold down a job because of their habit, precisely where are they going to get the money to feed their addiction? [If it's not through crime, that is...]
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Family and friends, private charity might help. Salvation Army's out there. It's the individual's problem as to what needs to be done. Getting straight is an option, too. So's starving and suicide.
As smack is really a refined agricultural product, its real cost is probably only a small fraction of its current street cost. Pot, a dried weed, would be very inexpensive.
"I'd like a dozen eggs and an ounce of marijuana, please"
"That'll be $4.55, sir. Have a nice day!"
As smack is really a refined agricultural product, its real cost is probably only a small fraction of its current street cost. Pot, a dried weed, would be very inexpensive.
"I'd like a dozen eggs and an ounce of marijuana, please"
"That'll be $4.55, sir. Have a nice day!"
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the Govt can therefore send the Womens Institute instead.
There is an occasional column in Private Eye entitled View from the Sand Pit. It is usually of interest, and the current issue points out the irony that the "air assault brigade" will be dependent on supplies moved by truck from Karachi, and that there are only two roads northwards through areas in which there is resurgant Pakistani (and Afghan/Chechen) Taliban activity. Hmmm.
Why should British troops be risking their necks trying to stem the international drugs trade? Is there really no other way to prevent lowlife scum from indulging in this feckless pursuit? Lets see Euan Bliar in a flak jacket manning a GPMG on a Land Rover. Perhaps pater will be less likely to offer up a "blood price" in an attempt to impress his pal Dubya.
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Lets see Euan Bliar in a flak jacket...
That would sort them out!
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FJJP,
wow thought I was cynical about all this but I bow to your superior talents. That aside you are a man after my own heart. Lets stop all this fluffy bull**** and use the forces to crush these drug dealing scumbags once and for all. The death penalty would be far too good for them. Just remember people these b s could be outside the school gates where you send your children selling their poisons.
wow thought I was cynical about all this but I bow to your superior talents. That aside you are a man after my own heart. Lets stop all this fluffy bull**** and use the forces to crush these drug dealing scumbags once and for all. The death penalty would be far too good for them. Just remember people these b
s could be outside the school gates where you send your children selling their poisons.
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Originally Posted by Dogfish
FJJP,
... Just remember people these b s could be outside the school gates where you send your children selling their poisons.
... Just remember people these b
s could be outside the school gates where you send your children selling their poisons.which school does one send children to sell poison?
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The trade in Heroin does indeed wreck people's lives -however more people die each year from methadone overdoses which is the prescription substitute.
There is little likelyhood of being able to make any impact on the drug trade in Afghanistan - we operate a scheme out there to pay farmers not to grow the stuff - they get payments based on their acreage but we have no way of checking on how much land they really have or what they grow safely.
Through education and advertising we should aim to highlight the hazards of heroin but sadly we have people in the media eye who clearly use the stuff and have the ability to avoid jail.
There is little likelyhood of being able to make any impact on the drug trade in Afghanistan - we operate a scheme out there to pay farmers not to grow the stuff - they get payments based on their acreage but we have no way of checking on how much land they really have or what they grow safely.
Through education and advertising we should aim to highlight the hazards of heroin but sadly we have people in the media eye who clearly use the stuff and have the ability to avoid jail.