“British troops could once again march into the ‘graveyard of empires’ as U.S. President Donald Trump packs on the pressure for a coalition surge in Afghanistan – despite a yawning black hole in Britain’s defense budget,” reported RT.com.
“Prime Minister Theresa May is under pressure to follow the White House U-turn on ending ‘the good war’ in Central Asia, after Trump reneged on his election pledge to pull the army out.
In a fresh test for the ‘special relationship,’ the Tories will now consider how the British military can respond – despite losing 456 servicemen and women since the war began in October 2001.
Trump announced the U.S. will deploy ground troops to avert a Taliban takeover and “prevent mass terror attacks” on American soil. However, campaigners believe increased military support will only antagonize the situation.”
“There are currently 500 British personnel on the ground, and a further 85 promised. But senior sources have dashed U.S. certainty by insisting there would be no more.
Senior Ministry of Defence (MoD) officials are scrambling to see what the UK can offer without damaging relations with Washington – and without actually committing soldiers.”
John Queally, of Common Dreams, quoted the reaction of Jeremy Corbin, British Labor Party leader to President Trump’s announcement: “ …On August 22, in the wake of President Donald Trump’s newly announced strategy for the U.S. war in Afghanistan, British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said the new plan would only continue the “failure” of American policy in South Asia and called on Prime Minister Theresa May not to “obediently applaud” her approval nor jump on board to join in the folly. The war in Afghanistan has failed,” Corbyn told the UK Mirror. “After 16 years of bloodshed and destruction, the Taliban are undefeated and terrorism is no less of a threat at home. In fact it has spread. The British Government should make clear to Donald Trump that his strategy of more bombing and a new troop surge will continue this failure, not obediently applaud his latest policy U-turn.”
“While the U.S. certainly has outspoken critics of the war—some of them in Congress and many of them consistent in their opposition—few prominent politicians, journalists, or political observers have been willing to decry the nation’s longest war as the misadventure it is.
According to the Guardian, the UK government has no current plans to increase its troops levels in Afghanistan even as the Associated Press reported that Trump’s plan will call for approximately 3,900 troops, some of which could arrive in the country “within days.”
Compiled by R.A.Hameed
