BRITISH PRIME minister Gordon Brown has rejected criticism from his party regarding the United Kingdom’s military presence in Afghanistan, insisting intervention is vital for national security.
Mr Brown suffered a reverse late on Thursday following the resignation of Eric Joyce, parliamentary aide to defence secretary Bob Ainsworth. Mr Joyce, a former army major, quit saying Mr Brown needed “to be honest” with the public about the operation.
While he rejected Mr Joyce’s demand for an exit strategy, Mr Brown emphasised the need to train Afghan soldiers and police to adopt a wider role.
In the past, Mr Joyce, MP for Falkirk, was seen as a loyal MP, although he was among those damaged by revelations about MPs’ expenses – which showed that he was the first one to claim £1 million in expenses during his time in parliament.
Mr Brown said he had given serious consideration to the deployment of troops: “Each time I have to ask myself if we are doing the right thing by being in Afghanistan. Each time I have to ask myself if we can justify sending our young men and women to fight for this cause. And my answer has always been yes. For when the security of our country is at stake, we cannot walk away.”
Describing the Afghanistan-Pakistan border as “a volatile region”, Mr Brown said it has “a profound impact on the security of Britain and the rest of the international community”, for reasons of terrorism, as well as the supply of narcotics.
“We cannot just do nothing and leave the peoples of Pakistan and Afghanistan to struggle with these global problems on their own,” said Mr Brown, who issued a curt reply to Mr Joyce’s resignation letter.
Mr Joyce’s departure as a parliamentary private secretary – the lowest rank of office-holder in the British government – matters little, though his background as an army officer will highlight divisions between Mr Brown and senior officers over Afghanistan.
Afghanistan is now a key issue in next year’s election campaign, particularly as the public are increasingly unconvinced that the UK – which has already lost 212 soldiers – can achieve any form of victory there.
Mr Brown said Afghan forces were not yet ready to take responsibility in the fight against the Taliban. But he was once again critical of the contribution made by other western nations in the conflict.
The United Kingdom’s 9,000 soldiers are part of an “international mission”, but the prime minister added that others “must take their share of the burden of responsibility; they must ask themselves if they are doing enough”. Mr Brown said intelligence indicates that UK and US forces in Afghanistan are disrupting al-Qaeda’s ability to mount attacks. “The advice I receive from the security agencies is clear,” he said.
“The sustained pressure on al-Qaeda in Pakistan, combined with military action in Afghanistan, is having a suppressive effect on al-Qaeda’s ability to operate effectively in the region. But despite these difficulties, the main element of the threat to the UK continues to emanate from al-Qaeda and Pakistan.”
Mr Joyce said it was not enough for Mr Brown to argue the Afghan deployment was preventing terrorism. “People really need to know what would happen if we weren’t there. Would the Americans simply fill the gap?” he said.
