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Proceeding contribution from Edward Leigh (Conservative) in the House of Commons on Wednesday, 7 July 2010. It occurred during Ministerial statement on Afghanistan.


Afghanistan

Does the Secretary of State agree, however, that we went into Afghanistan on the wrong premise? We were told we were going there to protect Londoners going to work. We now know that al-Qaeda has moved most of its operations to Pakistan, and that most of the Taliban whom we kill die within 20 miles of where they were born, so why are we there? Is it to hold territory, which nobody has ever succeeded in doing in Afghanistan—not even the Soviets with 240,000 people? If it is to fight a dirty war and keep heads down, why do we not place more reliance on special forces, rather than let the British Army carry on bleeding to death?


Secondary information

Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
513 c380 
Session
2010-12
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
Subjects
Armed forces Deployment Defence equipment Police Peacekeeping operations Politics and government USA Afghanistan Military aid ISAF
Link
View this Proceeding contribution on www.publications.parliament.uk