Afghanistan: We're in a war now, says Hague

Guardian

The news that two more British soldiers had been killed in Afghanistan yesterday brought new anxiety about the mission in the former Taliban stronghold.

William Hague, the shadow foreign secretary, said yesterday that British troops were now engaged in a war. "They are, and with very difficult objectives because they have to win the hearts and minds of the local population while at the same time removing their main source of income," he said in a reference to the drugs trade. He suggested that the United Nations should take a stronger role and that the Afghan people needed to see progress was being made. "Unless it can be shown to the people in Afghanistan that there's an alternative future to growing opium and being with the Taliban ... we are not going to succeed."

Mr Hague said the Tories would continue to raise concerns about the mission, including whether the troops had enough military hardware such as helicopters.

Patrick Mercer, the Conservative security spokesman, appeared to go further and attacked planning for the British deployment to the region. Mr Mercer, a former infantry officer, said the government had not committed enough combat forces to the mission: "When I was instructing at the staff college, if a student had presented me with this plan for Afghanistan, I would have failed him, and failed him comprehensively."

Remarks from the government yesterday were limited to sympathy for the deceased and their families. The defence secretary, Des Browne, said: "My thoughts are with the family and friends of those killed in the attack against UK troops in Afghanistan. Our troops are in Afghanistan to help the Afghans rebuild their country. That means facing down the Taliban, who will go to any lengths to oppose progress. In doing this job we lost two of our troops yesterday and I am greatly saddened by this."

The Stop The War Coalition repeated its call for troops to be withdrawn from Afghanistan as well as Iraq. Link