We should be ashamed of abandoning country

SOME 457 servicemen and women never came home from Afghanistan.

Among them was Cpl Kevin Mulligan, a fearless young Scot who I had the honour of serving with. One of countless tragedies in the conflict.

Given the huge sacrifices, Britain and its allies should be ashamed of where we have ended up. After two decades of a war that has left tens of thousands dead and cost the west trillions of dollars, we left with the

Taliban on the verge of retaking power. We employed a deeply flawed strategy, never changed course, then abandoned the country. Next month marks the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks – a stark reminder of the consequences when Afghanistan is abandoned. Where is the UK

Government in all this? I welcome the troop deployment to assist Britons to leave but, beyond that, the strategy has appeared to be to say nothing.

I want to know what we are doing to support the Afghan Government, and why we are slashing aid. Kevin’s loved ones still feel the pain of his loss. Thousands of veterans are suffering. Millions of Afghans have known nothing but bloodshed. They all deserve better than this.