Why are the UK government sending more troops to Afganistan, when history shows iti s useless?

Question

This part of the world has been subject to tribal warfare for all of recorded history. What are they trying to achieve by interference?

The British have been always batted out from Afganistan the Khyber Pass and all that !!!
Why don't they ever learn.

All answers good so far, but how do we pursuade them iy is not a brilliant idea?

The pipeline is overland!
The Khyber pass was the subject of horrible slaughter years and years ago

The pipeline to which I refered is operational and goes through Turkey

Answer 1

I was in Afghanistan working for the Canadian Military which was part of ISAF which Britain is also part. ISAF is the International Security Assistance Force created by NATO. The purpose is to provide stability while the country tries to get on their feet again. The Afghan people seem to generally like the NATO forces since they do a lot of relief work and generally don't interfer with peoples lives or culture, unlike the American forces. I can't really say that I agree with, or completely understand why we went in there but I saw a lot of good things being done while I was there. The point of ISAF is not to control the country, your right, that won't work, it is to help them establish a working government. I don't know if this will ever work but I do have hope that this will give people time to experience some peace in order to become more educated and regain the general life skills that have been lost after years of fighting.

I spent a year and a half in Afghanistan and had the oppertunity to really see how the lives of some of the villagers were changing due to increased stability. How long will this stability last? It is hard to say. After NATO pulls out I wouldn't give the government great odds of surviving power struggles with the warlords or fundimentalist insurgence but...I hope...people will want better for themselves after so many years of peace, at least in some places, and maybe they will be able make a difference.

Answer 2

Afghanistan has been occupied since the 60's, by both the Russians and the West. One of the last huge oil fields in the world is located under the Caspian Sea and both parties want to lay claim to it.
If the West wants to export the oil the pipeline has to come through Afghanistan, its the only route. Draw your own conclusions.

Answer 3

Hey better to have soldiers on active duty than rampaging through the world on expensive exercises. This is what they have trained for and being shot at and fatalities come with the territory when you sign up. Why else would you join up for if you hoped never to use any skills taught!

Plus england winning the world cup under Sven was useless but they still went anyway!

Answer 4

I'm not sure of the whole picture but I know that history proves when there's a war going on the economy of the country goes to the positive end of the financial spectrum. Which is too bad concidering the loss of life and destruction of the area that accompanies that financial gain.

Answer 5

Beacuse the military want money. The budgets are being prepared and as usual they have found themselves in a pickle at exactly the right time. I bet more funding comes their way next year.

PS Why don't the send Prince Harry they have spent millions training him and he has also deprived a normal persona place at military staff college

Answer 6

Officially: To promote stability in the region.

Unofficially: Opium.

Answer 7

The government has given its explanation; the question is can their objective be achieved? History isn't against it if we learn from history.

Answer 8

Politicians are a strange breed who believe that the way out of a hole is to keep digging.

Answer 9

Blairs a f--k wit

Answer 10

because mr bush said so!