British Army Major murdered in hellish Helmand by a rogue Afghan soldier

While he was sleeping a British Army Major was fatally shot by "a rogue Afghan soldier" serving as a non-commisioned officer. The Major died with two members of the Royal Gurka Rifles who were also victims of this man; the Afghan is currently being hunted by special forces. Not only is there a serious guerilla threat to Western troops, but there is the ever present danger of rogue attacks on perceived infidels and action against foreigners involved in military operations.  I wonder how much the military leaders of this conflict know or understand about religious resolve and an ideological commitment to a cause.  The opponents of Western forces are fighting, it seems, for clear values in an Islamic framework.  The situation has been exacerbated by the amount of weapons and bomb making materials which are available to Afghan fighters on the Taliban side; they are determined never to be beaten into submission by British soldiers and army advisers.

The deaths will certainly under-mind the resilience of the British soldiers and politicians.  Troops in Afghanistan willl continue to suffer and die in Afghanistan.  It is a great shame that we got into this mess of a quagmire and we are now hoping for an end to the conflict, which has gone on for years.  Success, which seems very difficult to assess, will not be possible if the Western forces are dealing with corruption, uncertainty and deep seated resentment.  The Western forces cannot win the hearts and minds of the people through militarism and spiritually bankrupt processes.

16 July

Britain would save an enormous amount of money by leaving Afghanistan and letting others deal with the situation.  Charity begins at home and we should be making our country better for people suffering from medical problems.  We cannot afford to continue fighting in the Afghan war zone for a number of reasons.  Politicians are giving us excuses and myths.  It is a myth that fighting in Afghanistan makes the streets of Britain safer.  I believe the reverse is true.  We will leave Afghanistan having lost many valuable lives and with very little to show for it in the overall scheme of things.  I contend that history will reveal in due course that we fought foolishly in Afghanistan.