Advance is retreat
The last tragic chapter of our Afghan tragedy is replicating old futilities. As we retreat from Northern Helmand a morale boost is needed to present failure as success.
Operation Black Prince seeks to 'clear a stronghold' named Saidabad. Serious students of military news might remembers that this area has been 'cleared' before. A very creditable BBC today claims that the 'locals to a man' prefer the Taliban. They do not want to be 'cleared'. The likelihood is that lives will be lost. Against the will of the villagers the drug-addicted Afghan Army and the depraved corrupt Afghan police will take over. Life for those in Saidabad could become even more miserable than it is now. Why bother?
Regardless of what happens, the outcome of Black Prince will be hailed as a great victory. This is what the propaganda agenda demands. When the British Army ran away from the battle leaving our equipment behind , it was hailed as great victory. That is how we still remember Dunkirk.
The narrative Korean war was filled with the captures and losses of hills 598 and 301. They were unoccupied hills of little significance except as high grounds but thousands of live were lost on them. In the final days of the Iraq War the ritual of motorised patrols continued months after they lost the purpose. All they did was provide targets for our enemies in the same way that our foot patrols do now in Afghanistan. One day we end them in the same way that we did in Iraq when our Army sensibly retreated to the departure lounge of Basra Airport.
To avoid more indefensible deaths, we should swiftly move to the exit of our troops. As always the pace will be determined by the needs of the military and the politicians. The military have an eye of how the retreat will be written up in glorious language in their regimental histories. Politicians are shaping a slow exit that can be spun as astute political stagecraft.
'Operation Black Prince' will be a footnote in history but an immense tragedy for some families. The protracted exit unwinds and deaths rise inexorably.
Newport!
In Newport, diplomacy rules.
A corrosive spat between the Council and local mega-entrepreneur Terry Matthews has been settled. It involved the future of a 400 year old farmhouses that has some architectural features of value.
The row threatened to cast a cloud over Newport's biggest sporting event ever-the Ryder Cup in the first week of October. The excitement is mounting. Today the Transporter Bridge reopened and numbers watching the Newport! Newport! Ymherodraeth video on You Tube is approaching two million. Great!
Will you be keeping us informed of Tongan troop casualties Paul?
Posted by: D.G. | July 30, 2010 at 09:31 PM
The Tongans have an odd role - guarding troops when they relatively safe in barracks before they go out on highly dangerous foot patrols. It sounds like policing not soldiering.
Posted by: Paul Flynn | July 30, 2010 at 11:40 PM