The Meaning of Sangin
It makes perfect military sense, we are told, and it is not a withdrawal but a handing over. Whatever it is if it takes our troops to a less dangerous part of the country it is welcome news. Our troops have shown valour and courage in full measure, in sharp contrast to the misplaced optimism of the top brass who give the orders and the naive rationalisation of politicians who set the policy.
Afghanistan, like Iraq, is the product of the knee jerk reaction to 9/11 and the hallucinatory fiasco of the Bush/Blair foreign policy agenda. One of the useful features of the Chilcot Inquiry is the parade of former top officials now willing to come forward and expose the muddled, shallow, ill informed and arrogant nature of those two leaders’ understanding of the realities of the challenge ahead of them. It is a pity the officials did not all offer their candour before the event. It is difficult to calculate the number of lives which could have been saved across the piece, but it is considerable.
Without those two sanctemoneous zealots in charge at that critical time, the world would also now be a good deal less exposed to the terrorist threat.