County MP slams war effort in Afghanistan

It is a war that has divided the public and politicians alike – now a Lincolnshire MP has called on the Prime Minister to rethink the Government's policy on Afghanistan.

The plea comes following one of the bloodiest months in the war's history – with a total of 18 servicemen killed in the past three weeks alone.

Since the 2001 invasion, a total of 187 British servicemen and civilians have died – making the death toll higher than the Iraq war.

Speaking at the House of Commons last week, Louth and Horncastle MP Sir Peter Tapsell said: "I have had great misgivings about the possibility of success in Afghanistan.

"These people have an absolute detestation of foreign intervention – the more troops we put into Afghanistan, the greater resistance will be.

"It has to be borne in mind that the most important event in the history of Islam was when the Prophet Mohammed drove out the foreigners from the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

"Three hundred thousand troops were never sufficient to do the job and the more troops we put in, the more it will be like throwing kerosene on to a burning tent."

Hitting back at claims that the war effort has been a waste, a spokesman from the Ministry of Defence said: "We, along with the international community, are determined never to allow Afghanistan to become a safe haven for terrorists again.

"We have tactically defeated them again and again and the defeats have demonstrated to the local population, who largely support us, that we will succeed."

For more on the Afghanistan conflict, see Wednesday's Echo.