Time for tough questions on Afghanistan

Afghanistan is high on the corruption index and, according to the BBC News yesterday at 20:20 BST, corruption is a growing problem.  It seems that the UK Government has planned to spend £175 million pounds a year in aid.  How much will reach the right destination?


There are only about 48% of the Afghan children in primary schools.  Are we expected to pay for the education of Afghan children?  It may be better than spending it on military hardware.  Should not more money go to wives and children of our dead soldiers who have died in the tragic conflict?  Money is really needed in our schools.  We have lost too many highly trained army personnel.  In human resource terms this war has been a disaster, with fine servicemen dying, it seems, daily at this present time. Woeful!

Does not charity begin at home?  Can we afford to support such a corrupt country where we are not wanted and certaintly not appreciated in tribal areas?  And now there is talk of deals and negotiations with the Taliban and other groups.  They will be laughing all the way to the banks or where their money is deposited.  They will play things out so that when we leave then they will claim a mighty victory.  

Why do we have to spend so much money, sacrifice so many lives and put up with the bribery and corruption?  For what?  A special hold on a significant and strategic area? For reasons of power balancing and long term objectives?  This Government should be looking after its own people, their education and their future.  Let the Muslim community who are very rich, sometimes though oil revenues, put the money into education in Afghanistan rather than premiership football and playboy pursuits. Why does it have to be us who foot the bill and see too many young lives wasted and wounded by this quagmire, this mess, this awful Afghanistan project. Let us leave and  let the people of Afghanistan, with Muslim aid, live their way.