Six British Soldiers Killed In Afghanistan Are Brought Home

Six Men Went To Serve Their Country. . . Six Coffins Came Back, Yet Life On The Afghanistan Frontline Continues For Their Brave Fellow Soldiers -- Daily Mail

* Six dead servicemen flown into RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire
* 2,000 mourners watched as the Union flag covered coffins left airbase
* Comrades cleared Taliban heartland around Gereshk over weekend

She carried his unborn child, and shed tears for the life they can no longer share.

In a tragic, poignant tribute, Emma Hickman symbolised the devastating human cost yesterday of the war in Afghanistan.

Her fiancé Private Daniel Wade was one of six soldiers blown up in the bloodiest enemy attack of the conflict.

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More News On Six British Soldiers Repatriated From Afghanistan After Being Killed By A Roadside Bomb

Thousands pay respects to British soldiers killed in Afghanistan -- The Guardian
Six British soldiers killed in Afghanistan repatriated -- The Telegraph
Bodies of six soldiers killed in Afghanistan brought home -- BBC
Bodies of six British soldiers repatriated -- BBC (Video)
Bodies of six British soldiers return from Afghanistan -- AFP
Afghanistan: Bodies of British soldiers killed in bomb attack flown home -- Scotsman
Thousands pay respects as soldiers killed in Afghanistan repatriated -- Metro
Bodies of six soldiers flown home -- British Forces News

British Military Units Serving In Afghanistan Could Have Their Tours Doubled To 12 Months

British Troops 'Could Spend Year In Afghanistan' -- Daily Telegraph

Key UK British military units serving in Afghanistan could see the length of their tours doubled to 12 months, according to Britain’s commander in the Helmand war zone.

Brigadier Ed Davis said the change may be needed to put an end to the “constant churn” of personnel and provide continuity.

The continuing Taliban threat showed the need for deployments longer than the usual six months, especially for British units involved in “mentoring” Afghan forces, said Brigadier Davis, of 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines, who is the commander of Task Force Helmand.

“The constant churn of people with whom you have really strong relationships is hard, so I think you need to reduce that by having people in theatre for longer,” he told the Independent.

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My Comment: One more reason why morale is dropping in the British military.

Britain Confirms That They Will Start To Withdraw From Afghanistan This Year

Photo: Prime Minister David Cameron (London Evening Standard)

PM's Rebuke To Defence Chiefs Over Cutbacks As He Announces Withdrawal Of 400 Troops From Afghanistan -- Daily Mail

David Cameron last night issued a stinging rebuke to defence chiefs who warned that Britain’s military capability is being hit by spending cuts.

As he signalled an early British withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Prime Minister admitted he had had ‘good, proper arguments’ over funding with Sir David Richards, the chief of the defence staff.

But he insisted it was inevitable that Sir David and other military bosses would always ‘want more’.

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More News On Britain's Withdrawal From Afghanistan

Britain to pull 400 troops out of Afghanistan this year -- The Guardian
Cameron Details Afghan Drawdown -- Wall Street Journal
More than 400 troops heading home from Afghanistan -- The Independent
400 British troops to leave Afghanistan - Cameron -- Mirror
Cameron says 400 troops to return from Afghanistan within year -- BBC
UK Prime Minister Cameron says about 400 troops to come home from Afghanistan in coming year -- Canadian Press
First troops to pull out of Afghanistan -- Financial Times
US alarmed by David Cameron's push for early Afghanistan withdrawal -- The Telegraph
David Cameron confirms 400 troops will be coming home from Afghanistan -- Scotsman
400 UK personnel to leave Afghanistan by New Year -- Ministry of Defense

UK Push To Quickly Withdraw From Afghanistan Raises Alarms In Washington

British Troop numbers in Afghanistan could be reduced. Photo from British Forces News

US Alarmed By David Cameron's Push For Early Afghanistan Withdrawal -- The Telegraph

David Cameron’s push for an early British withdrawal from Afghanistan has caused alarm in the US, raising fears for the Special Relationship.

Senior American military figures have warned Britain that a hasty exit from Afghanistan could strain relations between the two countries.

The Daily Telegraph last week revealed that David Cameron has ordered British commanders to draw up plans to start pulling hundreds of British troops out of Afghanistan within weeks.

The Prime Minister is expected to discuss a co-ordinated Afghan withdrawal in London next week.

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Previous Post: Bring Troops Home From Afghanistan NOW Demands Cameron In Row With Defence Chiefs

My Comment: Unlike President Bush who had a cordial relationship with British PM Tony Blair and who were able to work and cooperate together on international issues, President Obama has no such relationship with the present British PM David Cameron .... and it shows with this British decision to leave Afghanistan.

Will this quick exit out of Afghanistan impact the war .... definitely. But the British have decided to leave Afghanistan ASAP .... this is a political decision that the British Generals must and will obey .... regardless of what their American counterparts may say.

What Is The BBC Thinking?

Criticised: Ben Batt and Mackenzie Crook in the BBC's controversial drama Accused

I'm No Supporter Of This War, But I Despair At The BBC's Denigration Of Our Troops -- The Daily Mail

On Monday evening, BBC1 broadcast a shocking hour-long drama called Accused by the writer Jimmy McGovern.

It depicted the British Army in Afghanistan as a brutish, corrupt and dysfunctional institution.

The programme has provoked more than 200 complaints from the public. It has also attracted the wrath of various senior military figures, including the former Chief of Staff, General Lord Dannatt, who is so outraged that he has called into question the BBC’s role as a public service broadcaster.

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My Comment: It is easier to pick on and degrade the soldiers than say .... the Muslim extremists that they are fighting against. Because lets face it .... which of the two groups would most likely to retaliate against the BBC producers.

Was U.K. Prime Minister Cameron In Danger From A Taliban Attack?

A Lucky Escape: How David Cameron Was Almost Shot Down By A Taliban Rocket -- The Daily Mail

David Cameron came close to being assassinated at the hands of the Taliban on his last trip to Afghanistan, it emerged yesterday.

Military sources revealed that insurgents armed with shoulder launched rockets knew which helicopter to target when the Prime Minister visited a base in Helmand province.

Intercepted communications by the militants referred to the desire to shoot down the Chinook carrying the 'Big Commander'.

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More News On The Attempt To Assassinate U.K. PM Cameron

Taliban give details of thwarted plan to attack David Cameron -- The Guardian
David Cameron Afghanistan 'attack' base is revealed -- BBC
Taliban have spies everywhere, warns army expert after Cameron was almost shot down by insurgent rocket -- Mail Online
Afghanistan: Taliban attackers had pinpointed the helicopter David Cameron was in -- The Telegraph
We were ready to shoot down Prime Minister's helicopter, claim Taleban -- Scotsman
Report: Taliban targeted British P.M. -- UPI
David Cameron shuns security boost despite Taliban Chinook scare -- London Evening Standard

Official - U.K. Troops Out Of Afghanistan By 2014

Exclusive: Official - Troops Out Of Afghanistan By 2014 -- The Independent

A communiqué containing a blueprint for British troops to pull out from Afghanistan in four years' time has been leaked ahead of a major international conference this week.

British troops are to pull out of Afghanistan by 2014, under a secret blueprint for drawing down coalition forces that is set to begin in a matter or months, it emerged last night. A leaked communiqué – a copy of which has been seen by The Independent on Sunday – reveals how President Hamid Karzai will announce the timetable for a "conditions-based and phased transition" at the International Conference on Afghanistan to be held in Kabul on Tuesday.

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My Comment: If this report is true .... it means (for the British) 4 more years of war. Not a comforting thought .... not a comforting thought at all.

Anti-War Activists Confront British Afghan Policy

UK Accused Over Taliban Torture Risk When Handing Over Insurgents -- The Guardian

• Anti-war activivist seeks review over risk of torture
• Government accused of 'head in the sand' attitude

British forces handed over suspected insurgents to the Afghan secret service with a clear risk they would face "horrible abuse" and torture, the high court heard today.

The accusations were made by anti-war activist Maya Evans, from St Leonards, East Sussex, who is seeking judicial review of the government's detainee transfer policy in Afghanistan.

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My Comment: Welcome to the Britain of today. Focus and attention should be on how Afghans treat other Afghans in a theater of war .... instead of supporting policies that will help the UK and our Afghan allies win this war.

But when I read stories like this one, it quickly dawns on me that anti-war activist Maya Evans probably represents the majority opinion .... not the minority opinion on what Britain should do in the Afghan War.

The UK Are Expecting Heavy Casualties From Afghanistan This Summer. Should We Also Be Concerned?

Photo: Invaluable care: Lance Corporal Stuart Hale, 24, undertakes rehabilitation at Headley Court in Surrey - one of two major hospitals that care for those injured in Afghanistan

Military Hospitals 'At Breaking Point' And Couldn't Cope With Rise In Afghan Casualties -- The Daily Mail

Military hospitals are nearly at capacity and could not cope with a rise in casualties from Afghanistan, a panel of senior MPs warned today.

The Public Accounts Committee said any increase of the wounded would force soldiers to be treated in the NHS.

In a report published today, the MPs warned that there would be problems transferring the 'military culture' to the health service.

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Update: Military medical facilities 'not prepared for increase in casualties' -- The Telegraph

My Comment: The UK Government's Committee of Accounts report is here (pdf file).

Failure In Iraq -- An Analysis On Britain's Experience In Iraq, And How It Is Now Impacting British Strategy In Afghanistan

British soldiers patrolling a road in Basra, Iraq, in 2007. Wisam Ahmed/Reuters

From The Defence of The Realm:

In another valuable contribution to the remarkably sparse debate on the British occupation of Iraq, MP and former Grenadier Guard Adam Holloway has published a short paper headed, "The Failure of British Political and Military Leadership in Iraq."

Holloway takes the view that the Labour Government has suborned the Armed Forces from the very top to half the way down, creating a system that often enforces what is politically convenient, not what is militarily right. This systemic failure, he argues, began with the invasion of Iraq and continues to this day. This failure, he tells us, continues to prevent us from learning from our mistakes, and is condemning us to repeat them, as we are doing in Afghanistan.

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My Comment: Defence of the Realm is one of the best blogs from Britain on military affairs. They do not disappoint in this post.

Lance Corporal Adam Drane Named As 100th British Soldier To Die In Afghanistan

Lance corporal Adam Drane. Photograph: MoD/PA

Tributes To Lance Corporal, The 100th British Casualty In Afghanistan Of 2009 -- The Guardian

• Family and comrades mourn 'brave soldier'
• Minister on Helmand visit tells of mission progress

The 100th member of the British forces to die in Afghanistan this year was named tonight as Lance Corporal Adam Paul Drane.

Colleagues and loved ones paid tribute to Drane, 23, who was killed while on security duties at a checkpoint in Helmand. He was described as a brave soldier, a talented sportsman, and a loving son and fiance.

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My Comment: Our thoughts and prayers are for the family and love ones.

Britain Is Looking For Its Own Exit Strategy From Afghanistan

British Forces in Afghanistan. Photograph: Sean Clee/Royal Navy/PA

Afghanistan: The Hokey-Cokey Strategy -- The Independent

On eve of Obama's surge, Brown aims to convince voters he has a plan for withdrawal. Handover 'could begin by end of 2010' – but PM is set to commit 500 more troops.

British troops will begin handing over control of Helmand province to Afghan forces by the end of next year, Gordon Brown claimed yesterday as he set out plans for a withdrawal from Afghanistan after years of bloody fighting and the deaths of 235 British soldiers.

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My Comment: One more reason on why the Labour party will be voted out of office next year.

Another Reason On Why We Are Going To Lose In Afghanistan

Cuts Ground Special Forces’ Helicopters -- Times Online

HELICOPTERS used by British special forces to mentor their Afghan counterparts on anti-drugs operations have been grounded to save just £2m a year. The funding for the helicopters — used by the Special Boat Service (SBS) and Afghan special forces for raids on drugs barons and Taliban insurgents — was cut by the Foreign Office two months ago.

The decision came despite Gordon Brown’s announcement that Britain’s “exit strategy” rests on training Afghan forces to take over its role.

The Foreign Office refused to discuss the funding but privately officials confirmed the money was cut amid vain hopes that the Americans would foot the bill instead.

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My Comment: This is not how you win wars.

U.K. MoD Blocked Warning That Britain Faces Afghan Defeat

Photo: Colonel Peter Mansoor said Britain's political and military leaders had 'abdicated responsibility' in Basra

MoD Blocked Warning That Britain Faces Afghan Defeat -- Times Online

THE Ministry of Defence has suppressed a report which warned that British troops are facing “strategic defeat” in Afghanistan.

The decision to block publication of the critical academic paper in the army’s in-house journal coincides with a scathing attack by a senior US military officer on the “arrogance” of UK tactics in Iraq.

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My Comment: This critical report may have been blocked by the MoD .... but the main points have already been leaked to the media. This tells me two things .... (1) officers are clearly worried on what is happening in Afghanistan. (2) It is obvious that some of these same officers have lost respect for their political masters. Considering what has been revealed with the Lockerbie release .... this skepticism is justified.

5 Reasons Why Half of Britain Wants Troops Out Of Afghanistan

Royal Marines from Bravo Company return to the back-street of Sangin town, Southern Afghanistan where Captain John McDermid was killed last week by an I.E.D. (Improvised Explosive Device). Photo from The Daily Mail.

From The Danger Room:

The Brits have fought shoulder-to-shoulder with the Americans in Afghanistan since 2001. But now there seems to be a real shift in the way the war is being perceived — and presented by the media — in Britain. So far, politicians from both main parties have stayed committed to keeping British troops in Afghanistan for as long as it takes. But this is an election year. And a recent Guardian/ICM poll found that support for the war was running at 46%, opposition at 47%; a full 56% want to see troops withdrawn by the end of the year. What’s driving the debate in the U.K.? And why is Afghanistan seen so differently here? Five issues are at the core:

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My Comment: I would also add the lack of leadership from the Prime Minister on down.