Senior Brit officer killed in Afghanistan.

[Sam Lord]

"How can this have happened, and on this scale? The answer is simple. The four largest players in the heroin business are all senior members of the Afghan government ? the government that our soldiers are fighting and dying to protect."

Sorry. Forget to highlight this bit.

[the_moss]

Britain is protecting the biggest heroin crop of all time

By CRAIG MURRAY

"My knowledge of all this comes from my time as British Ambassador in neighbouring Uzbekistan from 2002 until 2004. I stood at the Friendship Bridge at Termez in 2003 and watched the Jeeps with blacked-out windows bringing the heroin through from Afghanistan, en route to Europe.

I watched the tankers of chemicals roaring into Afghanistan.

Yet I could not persuade my country to do anything about it"

Britain is protecting the biggest heroin crop of all time | Mail Online

Interesting article.

And as the man says "Remember this article next time you hear a politician calling for more troops to go into Afghanistan "

[Derrida]

It would hardly be fitting for the President to be sympathising with the family of some foreigner killed in a drug turf war. Does she sympathise with drug war victims' families in Dublin or Limerick?

Well ok then. No more of this stupid 'sympathising', full stop.

[IvoShandor]

ballocks -pure and simple. They have been fighting tribal wars there since time immemorial, one valley against the other, one racial group against the other, so the quote you gave is superceded by generations of tribal wars and death. Another shock horror poster. Go and take a wee tablet and you will be fine in the morning

Same to you too, Sir, and wash your mouth out while you are at it.
The inhabitants had been fighting for centuries and bad as they are these wars were often fairly formalized and predictable. They would be the usual wars or feuds over cattle or land or honour or monarchy or whatever. These were men of a new sort. The great statues had stood undisturbed for over a thousand years, through all the wars, until a vicious new breed of zealotry bled in.

[swansandtyphus]

The war in Iraq was based upon complete lies and absolutetly no western army should be there. We are not welcome.
They should all leave because they should never have been there in the first instance.

Afghanistan is no different.
Osama and his mates inflicted on 9/11 what even the CIA recognises as 'blow-back' - the unavoidable result of the USAs constant interference in the politics of other countries.

Get out and stay out !

Before 2003 Iraq was ruled by sadistic dictator Saddam Hussein.
Today in 2009 as US troops withdraw, the Iraqis have a consitutional democracy, democratic government and parliament and an independent rule of law.
The Shia and Sunni sectarian war has come to an end and the terrorists have been defeated by the US surge and by a strong Iraqi military and police who now have control over the country.
Iraq has been through 30 years of horrific dictatorship and misrule by Saddam, six years of violent bloody civil warm, the almost inevitable result of Saddam favouring his own Arab Sunni ethnic group over the Shia and Kurds but brutalising all under his rule.
Today Iraq has a future and its destiny is in the hands of ordinary Iraqis.

Afghanistan is in danger of returning to Taliban rule and becoming once again an unhindered sanctuary for Al-Qaeda.
It would be insanity to withdraw and give give victory to these barbarian savages whose ambitions are to spread terrorism to the four corners of the globe in order to establish a global Islamic caliphate.

Stick your head in the sand all you want.

[Mr Crowley]

Before 2003 Iraq was ruled by sadistic dictator Saddam Hussein.
Today in 2009 as US troops withdraw, the Iraqis have a consitutional democracy, democratic government and parliament and an independent rule of law.
The Shia and Sunni sectarian war has come to an end and the terrorists have been defeated by the US surge and by a strong Iraqi military and police who now have control over the country.
Iraq has been through 30 years of horrific dictatorship and misrule by Saddam, six years of violent bloody civil warm, the almost inevitable result of Saddam favouring his own Arab Sunni ethnic group over the Shia and Kurds but brutalising all under his rule.
Today Iraq has a future and its destiny is in the hands of ordinary Iraqis.

Afghanistan is in danger of returning to Taliban rule and becoming once again an unhindered sanctuary for Al-Qaeda.
It would be insanity to withdraw and give give victory to these barbarian savages whose ambitions are to spread terrorism to the four corners of the globe in order to establish a global Islamic caliphate.

Stick your head in the sand all you want.

You just lap up the propaganda with a big spoon, don't you.

Two more Brits splattered for smak yesterday.

[scratchnsniff]

I see all the usual "republican" Armchair heroes are out in force. Truly pathetic postings about these dead soldiers.

RIP these men and all others who have lost their lives from whichever UN participant they may be.
My thoughts are with all those out their including obviously the Irish soldiers. It is sad that their heroics should be fodder for the internet underclass so overrepresented here, But as one poster already said Normal Irish people will feel sympathy for Soldiers lost on their UN mandated mission.

[Gruffalo]

You just lap up the propaganda with a big spoon, don't you.

Two more Brits splattered for smak yesterday.

My favourite bit from that article:

He went on: "The insurgents are desperate and they are employing desperate tactics.

You mean they are fighting back, who would have thunk it. What is it with the Brits. They illegally invade other countries and then cry terrorism when the natives try to defend their liberty.

[Gruffalo]

I see all the usual "republican" Armchair heroes are out in force. Truly pathetic postings about these dead soldiers.

You are the one supporting the war, it is you who is an armchair hero. As I have said to another muppet of your ilk, if you are so in favour of this war, then fúck off and fight in it.

[Mr Crowley]

It is sad that their heroics.

What is 'heroic' about protecting the opium crop?

What's the difference between left and right below?