Why are our boys dying are free to beat their wives and peddle drugs?

THE BIG question getting ever harder to answer is: What ARE we doing in Afghanistan?

Our troops are being killed by enemies AND so-called friends.

The locals are alleged to be using their air force planes to smuggle drugs and weapons.

Corruption amongst the Western-backed regime is rife. As one expert stated, it is considered ‘rotten to the core’.

The eventual cost of the continued war to UK taxpayers alone is estimated at £50 BILLION – and growing.

And there is rising acceptance that once UK and US troops pull out, Afghanistan will revert back to what it’s ALWAYS been anyway – a vast basket case ruled by warring tribes.

President Hamid Karzai recently backed a document which promotes the segregation of women and allows husbands to beat their wives as he cosies up to the Taliban ahead of the planned withdrawal of Nato troops from the Afghanistan in 2014. It has set the cause of women’s rights in the country back years – which means all our efforts to improve the plight of Afghan women have been in vain.

Our continuing presence will change NOTHING. It may delay the inevitable. But during that delay, British soldiers will die. And for what?

Even President Hamid Karzai’s half-brother – assassinated by his own head of security last year – was accused of being a warlord mired in corruption.

It was claimed Ahmad Wali Karzai was openly involved in the drugs trade and had a personal militia at his disposal.

Last week US officials began investigating claims that the Afghan Air Force has been using aircraft to transport drugs and illegal weapons.

Coming after the death last week of six soldiers in the deadliest attack on British troops in six years, the probe underlines concerns over the deteriorating situation on the ground in Afghanistan.

The new corruption allegations will raise further doubts over the ability of Afghan forces to secure the country before foreign combat troops depart.

The accusations of illegal drug and gun running come from “credible” officials in the Afghan Air Force.

“At this point allegations are being examined,” said Lt Col Tim Stauffer, spokesman for the NATO Training MissionAfghanistan.

Allegations

“The authorities are trying to determine whether the allegations warrant a full investigation.”

US investigators are also looking into whether the smuggling is connected to an April incident in which an Afghan colonel killed EIGHT American Air Force officers at Kabul Airport.

An official report about the slaughter quoted American officials as saying that the killer was likely involved in moving illegal cargo.

Most of the victims had reportedly been taking part in an inquiry into the misuse of AAF aircraft.

An Afghan defence ministry official would not comment on the issue.

But he did say Afghanistan had come under pressure from the West to remove a senior AAF official over corruption allegations.

“They could not provide credible evidence,” he added.

AAF Commander Major