Pride, corruption and legacy in jeopardy

PRIDE in our armed forces, corruption in Afghanistan and continued support were the topics raised by columnists and contributors in the newspapers.

The Daily Express

The newspaper’s leader column said we have had reason to be immensely proud of our armed forces.

“Yes, it was a hurried, undignified withdrawal but whoever was to blame for that, our troops have nothing to apologise for,” it said.

It said for 20 years they gave their all to keep Britain and their allies protected from terrorists. “While our troops undoubtedly achieved their military aim, what they also did for the Afghan people over the years will not have been in vain,” it said. “And then, in the face of the recent horrific scenes of terror, they stepped up again to show their strength and compassion. Britain can be proud too that we have offered sanctuary to so many thousands of Afghans, demonstrating that those who brand Britain as a racist country could not be more wrong.”

The Guardian

Zack Kopplin, an investigator at the Government Accountability Project, said President Joe Biden wrongly blamed the Afghan people for the Taliban’s conquest.

“Blaming Afhgan citizens, some of whom may be tortured or killed in the near future, for their country’s collapse is wrong and immoral,” he said. “The

Taliban victory is the product of the corruption and cronyism of the elites – especially senior US personnel and Afghan politicians.”

He said corruption in Afghanistan has long been an open secret among international observers and its own citizens.

“In 2020, Transparency International ranked Afghanistan among the top 20 most corrupt countries in the world. The Afghan state and army was in large part a facade, held up only by the American occupation, and it’s no surprise that Afghans were unwilling to fight and die for it any longer.”

The Independent

The leader column said only a lone senior civil servant from the Foreign Office was there at Brize Norton to welcome back the ambassador, Sir Laurie Bristow, and the last of the UK troops from Afghanistan.

“After one of the longest wars in British military history, marked by so much bravery and drama, it was a low-key, muted event,” it said.

“Rightly so. It feels very much like defeat. Despite the deserved praise for service personnel, aid agency staff and other civilian workers, that legacy stands in great jeopardy, as is obvious.

“As Afghanistan continues to fracture, the task of protecting its people becomes near-impossible – and thus all the more reason for the West to remain committed to providing help.”