What is the purpose of the war in Afghanistan? Drugs trade? Terrorism and September 11th? Osama Bin Laden?

Al Qaeda? Taliban? Human Rights of Afghan people?

Key: Bold - British Army

Drugs Trade
Afghanistan essentially holds a monopoly on heroin exports to the Old World. The country accounts for more than 90 percent of global production; although drug markets evolve over time, Afghanistan's production costs are so much lower than its would-be competitors' that it is a safe bet to assume the country will be the leader for at least five or 10 more years. The Taliban use profits from the opium trade to finance terrorist attacks on civilian and military targets. Although the Taliban traffic only modest quantities entirely on their own, taxing other people's drug deals is an important source of revenue; no one knows how much the Taliban profit from the drug trade, but whether they do isn't up for serious debate. But just because the Taliban benefit from the heroin business doesn't mean the heroin business mostly benefits the Taliban. Consider the numbers (or at least the rough ones -- production figures fluctuate from year to year, conversion rates are crude estimates, and price data beyond the opium bazaars are sketchy). In a typical year, Afghan farmers sell about 7,000 tons of opium at $130 a kilogram to traffickers who convert that into 1,000 tons of heroin, worth perhaps $2,500 a kilogram in Afghanistan and $4,000 at wholesale in neighbouring countries. That works out to roughly $900 million in annual revenues for the farmers, $1.6 billion for traffickers from operations within Afghanistan, and another $1.5 billion for those who smuggle heroin out of the country. (2010 was atypical; a poppy blight drove opium production down and prices up.) Drugs are one of the gravest threats to the long-term security and prosperity of the Afghan people. Sustainable drug elimination strategies take time. The Afghan Government has made clear its commitment to tackling the trade.

The UK is working with the Afghan Government and the international community to bring about a sustainable reduction in the cultivation, production and trafficking of opium. We are helping the Afghan Government in its efforts to implement its National Drug Control Strategy (NDCS) and to turn international interest for counter-narcotics into support and resources. The Taliban derive economic benefits from the drug trade. It is in their interest and that of the traffickers to undermine the Afghan Government's efforts to establish stability. In the south, they encourage farmers to grow poppy and to resist eradication. In areas of Afghanistan where access

to governance, security and development has improved, drug cultivation reductions achieved have been sustained.

Terrorism and September 11th

Drugs trade is linked with terrorism. The 7 July 2005 London bombings (often referred to as 7/7) were a series of co-ordinated suicide attacks in London, United Kingdom, which targeted civilians using the public transport system during the morning rush hour. On the morning of Thursday, 7 July 2005, four terrorists detonated four bombs, three in quick succession aboard London Underground trains across the city and, later, a fourth on a double-decker bus in Tavistock Square. Fifty-two people, as well as the four bombers, were killed in the attacks, and over 700 more were injured. The explosions were caused by homemade organic peroxide-based devices packed into rucksacks. The bombings were followed exactly two weeks later by a series of attempted attacks. Mohammad Sidique Khan. Shehzad Tanweer. Germaine Lindsay. Hasib Mir Hussain. These are the four bombers of July 7th 2005.

Osama Bin Laden, Al Qaeda, Taliban

Bin Laden was shot dead at a compound near Islamabad, in a ground operation based on US intelligence, the first lead for which emerged last August. He was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets. He was a member of the wealthy Saudi bin Laden family, and an ethnic Yemeni Kindite. Al Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad. It has been designated a "terrorist organization" by the United States, the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, NATO, and various other countries.

The Taliban gave safe haven to Al Qaeda, which allowed terrorists to plan and carry out attacks around the world. That is why the United Nations authorised a NATO/ISAF-led military intervention. Getting rid of the Taliban regime and Al Qaeda was only the first part of the job. The second is to make sure they cannot return. Quote from the British army website http://www.army.mod.uk/operations-deployments/22713.aspx The Taliban is an Islamist militant and political group that ruled large parts of Afghanistan and its capital, Kabul, as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan from September 1996 until October 2001. It gained diplomatic recognition from only three states: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The main leader of the Taliban movement is Mullah Mohammed Omar.

Human Rights of Afghanistan people

The situation of Human Rights in Afghanistan is a topic of some controversy and conflict. While the Taliban were well known for numerous human rights abuses, several human rights violations continue to take place in the post-Taliban government era. The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is home to 28.2 million people, a number which includes hundreds of thousands of refugees from various neighbouring countries. The life expectancy is 42.9 years, under 5-mortality for both male and females is 223/237 per 1,000 and adult literacy is 28 per cent. Millions of people living in southern and eastern Afghanistan are terrorized by the Taliban, other insurgent groups, and local militias ostensibly allied with the government.

Deployment
There are currently 9,500 British troops deployed in Afghanistan. In 2006 there was around 5,500 British troops deployed in Afghanistan. Up to 4,000 British troops could leave Afghanistan before the end of 2013. Personnel will be reduced by 7,000 to 95,500 over the next 5 years. This compared to over 200 years ago, where the British army was a massive force and had over 200,000 troops. Also by 2020 another 1000 troops are expected to be cut, making the British army weaker and weaker by decade. Compared to the Royal Navy who are having personnel cuts of 5,000 to 30,000, The Navy are being hit the worst with the cuts of personnel. This compared to over 200 years ago where the British army was a massive force and had over 200,000 troops The British Army presence in Germany will end by 2020. The number of Challenger 2 tanks will be cut by 40% to an estimated number of just over 200. The number of AS-90 heavy artillery will be cut by 35% to an estimated 87.

Financial State

Man power/recruitment 1813 203,000 troops Lowering recruitment. Personnel reduced to 95,000. Army presence in Germany will end by 2020. By 2020 troops will be at 94,000. No cuts in support for Afghan operations. Present day 100,000.

Funding Reduce costs by 750 million plus by 3.2 billion over 10 years. 2011 12 2012 13 2013 14 2014 - 15 33.8 bn 34.4 bn 34.1 bn 33.5 bn

8% deduction. 718 million on armoured to be cut.

Equipment Armoured vehicles cut until 2025. Challenger tanks by 40% to 200. Heavy Artillery cut by 35%. More Chinook choppers available.

Can you explain why these changes are taking place, commenting on the current financial climate and armed forces resources?

Financial crisis is happening all over the UK, this is happening because of many different things. Tax being raised to help fund the British Army in Afghanistan, when most of the British citizens want the army to be pulled out of Afghanistan. Britain could be asked to contribute towards a 200billion (170billion) attempt to support debtstricken euro zone members, European Union officials have warned. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/8946806/Eurozone-debt-crisis-Britain-may-haveto-contribute-to-200bn-bail-out.html

Using examples how do you believe the Armed Forces is likely to operate in the near future?
NATO began its first military intervention in the Balkans in 1995, the tempo and diversity of NATO operations have increased. The British Army will be joining up with NATO more often in the near future due to British government cuts, public perception. The government will be cutting troops in the British Army by 100,000 to 95,000 over the next few years, resources and vehicles will also be cut. Public perception of the British Army has changed over the last 11 years, in 2001 every British person wanted the British Army to go to war in Afghanistan to fight the Taliban and get rid Al Qaeda after the devastation of the 9/11 attacks. But over the last few years more soldiers have been killed and financial crisis has hit almost rock bottom in Britain due to resources being needed in Afghanistan. Now the British public want the soldiers to be pulled out of operations in Afghanistan. The British Army will be weakened massively, so we would need to join with NATO to keep a stable empire. It may be difficult working with different countries such as the Americans, but at least we then know we can deploy soldiers to places where they are needed.

The United Kingdom contributes to all five of the NATO operations and missions: The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan; Kosovo Force (KFOR); The NATO Training Assistance Implementation Mission in Iraq (NTM-I); Operation Active Endeavour (OAE) in the Eastern Mediterranean Counter-Piracy. http://uknato.fco.gov.uk/en/uk-in-nato/nato-operations/

NATO is an Alliance that consists of 28 independent member countries.

Can you give an overview of Public Perception in relation to the Armed Forces in general and the War in Afghanistan?