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Why Afghanistan?
‘There is no diplomacy with Bin Laden or the Taleban regime.’
Prime Minister Tony Blair, 2001
At the start of the new Millennium, with Britain’s imperial past a fading memory, few would have believed that British soldiers would again be fighting and dying on Afghan soil. 9/11 changed all that. Afghanistan, under the puritanical rule of the Taleban, was widely regarded as the main safe haven of the al-Qaeda terrorists responsible for the devastating attacks in New York and Washington in 2001.
United Airlines Flight 175 crashes into the south tower of the World Trade Center complex in New York City during the September 11 attacks, 2011
CC-BY-SA-3.0 / Matt H. Wade at Wikipedia
In October 2001, following an ultimatum, a Coalition led by the United States and including UK forces attacked al-Qaeda’s sanctuaries and training bases in Afghanistan. The Taleban regime collapsed under a rain of Tomahawk missiles and laser-guided bombs. Taleban and al-Qaeda fighters, attacked in their compounds, caves and bunkers, withdrew to remote areas of the country and across the border into the tribal areas of Pakistan.
If Britain’s previous military experience in Afghanistan did not inform the Coalition forces engaged in Operation ENDURING FREEDOM that there would be no quick win, then the rusting wrecks of abandoned Soviet tanks were a telling reminder of the last foreign intervention in Afghan affairs.
Pump House Contact: A platoon of the Parachute Regiment firing on hidden Taleban members on the outskirts of Kabul, c2002.
Oil on the lid of an Army crate by Sergeant-Major Douglas Farthing, The Parachute Regiment, 2003.
NAM. 2003-07-87
‘If today the foreigners desert Afghanistan...then it will be seen for how many days the national army of Mr. Karzai will resist? ... Nothing will remain stable even for a week.’
Mohammad Qasim Fahim, former Afghan Defence Minister
At the end of 2001 the United Nations-backed International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was set up to support a temporary Afghan government. The main role of this North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)-led force was to establish and maintain security in and around the capital, Kabul. The ultimate goal of this intervention is to allow Afghanistan to develop into a peaceful and self-dependent democracy and return to the international fold after years of conflict and isolation.
British forces were involved in the training of Afghan army units at an early stage. The Afghan National Army (ANA) and Police (ANP) are being reformed with ethnic balance, professionalism and accountability as key performance indicators.
Afghan National Army soldiers drilling at Camp Tombstone in Helmand Province, May 2006.
NAM. 2006-10-3-91. Crown Copyright
In 2003 the UK’s role developed with the creation of Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRT) in the north of Afghanistan. By March 2004 around 1,000 British troops were in the country and the UK provided the bulk of a Quick Reaction Force based at Mazar-e-Sharif.
The PRT model was adopted by Coalition forces in the north and west, extending the control of the provisional government in Kabul. A Presidential election was held in October 2004, followed by an election for the new Afghan Parliament in 2005.
The Fourth Man: On patrol in Kabul, c2004.
Oil on canvas by Sergeant-Major Douglas Farthing, The Parachute Regiment, 2005.
NAM. 2005-07-766
In early 2006 much of Afghanistan was relatively stable. Many armed groups had been disbanded and thousands of weapons and large amounts of ammunition had been removed from circulation. Refugees returned to peaceful areas and despite their novelty, elections saw high turnouts of voters. Social reform, particularly women’s rights, and the distribution of aid remain controversial issues in Afghanistan today.
A member of the Joint Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal team prepares ammunition for destruction, May 2006.
NAM. 2006-10-3-13. Crown Copyright
‘We cannot risk Afghanistan once again becoming a sanctuary for terrorists - we have seen where that leads, be it in New York or London.’
John Reid, Defence Secretary, 2006
In 2006 the United Kingdom took over the lead of ISAF (then made up of 37 contributing nations) in Kabul for a nine-month period. On 26 January 2006 UK Defence Secretary John Reid announced the deployment of 3,300 British service personnel to Helmand Province. In March 2006 British forces handed over control of their northern PRTs to other nations and moved south. During this period ISAF’s commitment to establishing security in the troubled south of the country was increased. The number of troops deployed there rose to 10,000, made up of contingents from eight nations.
Provincial Reconstruction Team patrol commander Lieutenant Rob Phillips greeting a civilian in Lashkar Gah, May 2006.
NAM. 2006-10-3-6. Crown Copyright
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