By Anthony Lafferty, St Helens for Socialism
As the situation unfolds in Afghanistan, we see numerous UK citizens begin to discuss this unfolding desperate situation facing the citizens of Afghanistan. A conflict which had lasted for over 20 years.
Trillions of dollars have been spent by the US and an estimated £37bn by the UK on this controversial conflict, one that has claimed thousands of human lives, including over 4000 US and over 400 UK servicemen and servicewomen. Tony Blair had taken us to war in Afghanistan in 2001; he now states the decision to leave Afghanistan was “tragic, dangerous and unnecessary”.
Many would argue the entire war was tragic dangerous and unnecessary. Afghanistan is now in the hands of the Taliban, putting the lives of millions of its citizens in great danger as many desperately try to escape this extremely dangerous situation with their lives. We see yet another tragic refugee crisis unfolding with the entire world watching.
Make no mistake, the citizens of Afghanistan have been left to fend for themselves against the tyranny of the Taliban. Afghanistan was taken back into the hands of the Taliban with very little opposition from the Afghan armed forces, who we as a nation have funded and armed to the cost of billions.
Desperate Afghan refugees
The usual divisionary comments are being made by many ill-informed newspaper commentators and those who believe them, as we begin as a nation to offer refuge to desperate Afghan citizens: “We should look after our own first”, “We should look after our homeless veterans first”, or “We have thousands of homeless people here already”.
Then there are the fear-based opinions: “Why are these refugees mostly men of fighting age?”, “What if some of these people are would-be terrorists?”, “They just want money and a house at the UK taxpayers’ expense.”
Let’s talk about the UK taxpayers’ expense. We live in a country that can spend £37 billion on a war that has frankly achieved a worse situation for Afghanistan and ourselves. We have enabled the Taliban to become an even greater terrorist threat, as they build up their arsenal of weaponry, by frankly handing over our weapons to them. How “tragic, dangerous and unnecessary” you may argue.
Sadly, nothing was to be gained from this war as our soldiers return home after losing so many of their fellow servicemen and servicewomen. These people who have served our country return to one of the richest nations on earth that already has a housing crisis, underfunded care for veterans suffering from the effects of war, and thousands upon thousands of citizens homeless or in need of suitable housing.
Fear-mongering and right-wing lies
Our veterans, homeless people and these desperate refugees in Afghanistan have more in common than meets the eye. The divisionary opinions of so many UK citizens blinded by fear-mongering right-wing lies are an insult to the very veterans they claim to care about deeply. Refugees have nothing to gain from coming to our country but safety and a chance to build a life free from tyranny they truly deserve.
The only people to gain from the war in Afghanistan were the warmongering politicians and the arms trade. This war for them was a financial investment. Think Lockheed-Martin, a company that has made a 1,236% financial return on the weapons it has supplied for this war, and Boeing, Northrop-Grumman, General Dynamics, to name but a few others.
Recently I had the honour of asking a veteran his opinions of the Afghanistan war and the current refugee crisis.
These are the thoughts of a 60 year-old local veteran, Les, based here in St Helens. He is a man who served his country, in the Queens Lancashire Regiment, from 1978 to 1984. He continues to deal with Mental illness every day.
The following is a transcript from my meeting with Les on the August 26.
What are your thoughts on the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 under Tony Blair’s government?
Les: Firstly, it wasn’t our place to invade Afghanistan, it was a pointless war from day one. Who decides who the enemy is anyway? Who decides it’s a good idea to put our soldiers at risk in a conflict that cannot be won?
Afghanistan was a very dangerous situation for our armed forces as our armed forces were defending themselves from people they could not easily find or recognise. Not too dissimilar to the Vietnam conflict and many others.
It was not about defending our country from terrorism and making our lives safe from a terrorist threat. Power corrupts. It was imperialism fuelled by hatred and the possibility of financial gain. Blair and other politicians were not sending their children to Afghanistan – they were sending ours.
What are your thoughts on the aftermath of the Afghanistan war and the current refugee crisis unfolding?
Les: We have basically emboldened the Taliban and increased the likelihood of them organising and planning more terrorism in Afghanistan and abroad, including here in the UK. We have created even more PTSD in our armed forces, not to mention the hundreds of deaths and injuries people will have to live with for the rest of their lives.
Honestly, you’ll never find a bigger pacifist than a veteran. We have let down an entire country of men, women and children. Thousands of these people’s lives are now in danger because of the help they have given our country. It is our duty to offer safety to these people wanting a better life for themselves and their children.
The Taliban are armed (mostly with the arms we have left there) and even more of a threat to us and the people of Afghanistan. We should never have sent our armed forces there in the first place. Now we have refugees fleeing this situation and still to this day the likes of Nigel Farage and the right-wing rags demonize these people or anybody else who is not white British for that matter.
I am proud to have served my country, I am proud to be a working-class ex-serviceman as so many of my fellow servicemen were, including the friends I have lost in service. These people at the top wage war; it’s us, the working class, who fight it mostly. Sadly, very little has changed.
