What is he playing at?

[anotheoldgit]

What is that idiot Brown playing at.

His country is in the throes of a economic depression, with a National debt of at least �118 bn.forcast. and yet he is wandering around dishing out even more of our money to foreign countries.

Mr Brown told the president Hamid Karzai he will send a "multi-agency taskforce" made up of British customs officials, lawyers, accountants and detectives to Kabul to help the Afghan government fight corruption.

Britain will also give �7million to Afghanistan to help prepare for the national elections due in September.

He is also to give �6million to Pakistan.

And has pledged even more troops to Afghanistan.

Why does he value the lives of our troops less than the other European nations of NATO do theirs? It is time for these other countries to send their troops into the danger areas, and bring ours home.

a "chain of terror" through Afghanistan and Pakistan leading on to British streets unless troops were in Helmand containing the Taliban. Brown.

If this statement is correct, wouldn't it be cheaper, and safer for our troops, to bring them home and let them defend our own country, if the needs arise?

The Sunday Express revealed last February that a 12-year-old Afghan boy smuggled into Britain told Scotland Yard he had been groomed to carry out attacks by the Taliban and was sent to England by his worried mother to avoid death. He is now studying at a comprehensive.

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/75627/Tali ban-s-12-child-bombers-chain-of-terror-that-br ought-child-killers

[VHG]

>He is also to give �6million to Pakistan.

I wish had ONLY given 6 million to Pakistan.

In fact he has given 480 million pounds to Pakistan.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7781108.stm

You could cry when the article says things like:
"More than �250m has been earmarked to increase training for young people and get five million children into school. "

We have slum estates in this country, a failing infrastructure, more problems than we know how to handle, yet we happily give Pakistan 480 milion pounds to sort out their problems.

And of course it is our tax that pays for it.

[anotheoldgit]

Wow I don't believe it VHG how did the Independent get it so wrong?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/b rown-calls-for-pact-with-pakistan-against-terr or-1066422.html

I bet those in the UK, thrown out of their jobs just before Christmas, would only be to pleased to be on the receiving end of �480million.

We should take Brown's passport away.

[VHG]

It seems the �6 million is purely for fighting terror.

My guess is the �480 milion is a "bribe" by the west to keep Pakistan friendly and to keep them fighting the taliban.

Of course if we stopped letting Muslims into this country that would also help (and get rid of some of the illegal ones that are here as well).

[anotheoldgit]

Exactly, let's hope we will see a return for this money, but I doubt it.

Are they friendly, and are they actually fighting the Taliban?

the biggest threat from terrorists is not from them in Afghanistan but those enjoying our hospitality in this country.

This is not a myth it has been proven, when are our politicians going to wake up and accept this?

[Lonnie]

Since 1997, I can't think of one thing Labour gas done to make me proud of this country. Since they got in, they've been dragging it down the pan, and this is no exception.

Europe here we come, complete with our begging bowl.

[Lonnie]

Typo, should be has, not gas. apologies.

[123everton]

Of course you could look at it the other way and say a pacified Afghanistan would mean a British disengagement from the conflict, a reinvigorated state education system in Pakistan will keep their children out of the madrasses educated and with hope and skills these people will be less inclined to become suicide bombers.
You don't defeat terrorism with bullets alone.

[Mr-Marvel]

Does anyone still wonder why this country is the laughing stock of the world. our taxes go to countries that hate the British people with a passion, they tell us they do but we still send them millions. Good old Gordon.

[jake-the-peg]

God you lot are short sighted aren't you?

Do you think we can roll tanks and nukes into Afghanistan blow them to pieces "Win" and go home and put our feet up by the fire?

Do you think we can just leave and the Taliban and friends won't return and start all over again?

Reconstruction is a major part of stabilising a country so that you can actually finish a war.

Go read about the "Marshall Plan" and see if you can work it out.

The money going to reconstruct these places is a tiny amount of what fighting wars cost.

[youngmafbog]

Jake, for once I actually agree with you.

�6m is quite a small amount in the grand scheme of things so certainly worth a punt.

I never understand exactly how you cost a war. Afterall even if you are not fighting you have to feed and pay your troops, maintain your equipment/vehicles etc and also spend loads on manouvers to keep in practice(includes letting of milions of pounds worth of misiles). So what is the true cost of war ?

[anotheoldgit]

One counts the true cost of war not in money, but in lives.

[rov1200]

How did bl??dy Afghanistan manage to exist for all these years and before the coalition entered the country. You have to ask yourself why the country can't form its own Army but unlike Iraq most of the male population have been recruited by the Taliban instead.

I believe if a count was done amongst the female population of Afghanistan they would be quite content to wear their Burkas and take their orders from the male population. Trying to introduce equal rights is not worth fighting there for.

[rov1200]

And now we find out Afghanistan was not the real enemy after all. It was over the border in Pakistan!

[anotheoldgit]

You have to ask yourself why the country can't form its own Army

It does have its own Army, in fact that is part of our job out there, training them up to take on the Taliban themselves.

That is when they are not high on their home grown drugs.

[rov1200]

It may have been the aim of forming its own Army but those that are recruited are deserting in droves. Also as we can see no end date of our troops there it appears they will never have sufficient Afghan troops to take over. I have heard we are likely to be there for decades.

http://www.mod.gov.af/#Current_status

[123everton]

Of course we're gonna be there for decades, we're still in Germany.
The fact that they've decamped to Pakistan shows in some measure the success of the war, their posiyions in Afghanistan are untenable, so they've moved into Pakistan where they're not so easy to get at.