DAVID CAMERON has branded the lack of suitable helicopters to allow British troops to move around southern Afghanistan a "scandal".
The Tory leader today called on the Government to "beg, borrow or, frankly, steal those helicopters that are necessary for our troops".
He said: “The Government must deal with this issue as a matter of extreme emergency.”
“The Government made a historic mistake with a cutback of the helicopter programme and they did it at a time when our troops were engaged both in Iraq and Afghanistan and in these conflicts mobility is absolutely key.
“You have got to commit the resources so that they can do the job properly. The other thing we should do is much more effort to go to every single Nato country and really hold their feet to the fire about why their helicopters are not there.
The Government's handling of Afghanistan is under growing pressure
“If you do a desktop search on how many helicopters and troop-carrying helicopters different Nato countries have, you come up with a very significant number.
“When you see what’s actually in Afghanistan, it is a much less significant number."
His comments come after the Ministry of Defence named eight men killed in the space of just 24 hours - including three young riflemen from 2nd Battalion The Rifles who were just 18-years-old.
The latest deaths bring the total number of British military fatalities in Afghanistan since the start of operations in 2001 to 184 - surpassing the 179 who died in Iraq.
The news of the deaths has sparked fresh criticism and threatened cross-party consensus concerning Britain's role in the military campaign.
Shadow defence secretary Liam Fox said there was an “enormous discrepancy” between the ratio of helicopters to troops between the US and the UK.
He said the Government had to maximise the chance of success and provide troops with “enough equipment to minimise the risk to them”.
He added: “I think we’re there because of our national security. People, I think, understand that the training camps from which the 9/11 attacks were launched came from Al Qaida in Afghanistan. We have to deny them that space.”
Dr Fox said the UK needed a “simpler view of what we’re trying to achieve” or faced “setting expectations in Afghanistan which cannot be met”.
But Foreign Secretary David Miliband today said the UK's strategy was "very clear".
He said: “This is a mission that’s been developed with a very clear strategy: above all, to make us safer here because we know these areas of Afghanistan and its neighbour Pakistan are used to launch terrorism around the world.
“So the mission for us is clear.”
Mr Miliband said the "great danger" faced by British troops was on the ground.
The five UK troops killed in Sangin on Friday were on foot patrol, which was “an essential part of the mission”, he said.
Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth also insisted the Government was doing everything possible to increase the number of helicopters and armoured vehicles available to troops in Afghanistan.
After a bloody start to July, which saw the death toll in Afghanistan pass that of the Iraq war, Mr Ainsworth said no amount of helicopters could have prevented the rising casualty rate.
Under further attack from the Tories today, he said there had been an 84 per cent increase in availability of helicopters.
But, he added: “The changes in the way in which the operations are being conducted leads to more ground operations and these cannot be conducted from helicopters.”
“There has been hand-to-hand fighting that has resulted in some of the deaths that we have experienced, sadly, over the last week or so.
“This cannot be conducted from inside a highly armoured vehicle and it cannot be conducted from a helicopter.”
Mr Ainsworth added: "This operation will not be won by killing Taliban, it will be won by winning the people, by protecting the people, and by the people accepting that we and the Afghan government are on their side.”
THE CONSERVATIVES VOTED FOR WAR
14.07.09, 11:13am
What was the commission on that sale which is costing the lives of brave soldiers put in death traps?
Shame the Tories allowed the illegal, useless Iraq war and did not make a peep about Dr Kelly's obviously suspicious and timely death and allow more useless, costly, death and destruction in Afghanistan?
Penny
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I agree with you Penny.
The Conservative Party didn't just allow the illegal wars and Regime changes and sexed up MI6 dodgy dossiers...THEY VOTED FOR IT !!
So who benefits from these Wars ? Certainly John Major who as a director of the Carlisle Group, supplied many Army purchase orders for goods and arms and non functional Belgium ammunition for the Blair Wars around the world.Did anyone notice Blairs payout trip as he left office ,around the world with his cap out ? He came home with £10 million and a book deal from the world's moneylenders whose War he had implimented.
One wonders ,had Dr Kellynot been murdered , what the shares would be doing at Qinetiq ?
I think that the British people are fed up with being taken for pawns in someone else's game.
THE BBC, THE TOP GREEDY BANKERS, THE GREEDY MP'S SHOULD PAY
14.07.09, 10:05am
If the Greedy top Bankers, the BBC top cats and the corrupt MP's who allowed these useless, costly wars which can NEVER be won, should pay for the equipment until all our boys are brought back home, or pay for our terrible hospitals, or contribute to pensions for the vulnerable elderly.
There is no point waiting until we 'win' this war as there was no point waiting until we 'won' the Iraq war as these useless wars can NEVER be won, however much money and lives are lost there.
Britian needs it's brave men back home and Britian does not need to waste money on useless wars which just serve to boost the arms trade.
Who ordered the dangerous tanks which the Americans refused as they were far too dangerous?
What was the commission on that sale which is costing the lives of brave soldiers put in death traps?
Shame the Tories allowed the illegal, useless Iraq war and did not make a peep about Dr Kelly's obviously suspicious and timely death and allow more useless, costly, death and destruction in Afghanistan?
The Conservatives should have been shouting from the rooftops ever since 1997 and they said nothing but practiced, 'cover-ups as best you can'.
Why shout now when you did not do so for over a decade?
The Bliar/Brown demolition team should have been stopped a decade ago, whilst the Tories were twiddling their thumbs and brushing horrors under the carpet, whilst wondering where they were going to dine next and with whom, instead of protecting Britain from greed, abuse and corruption at the top.
Too little, too late, Cameron.
Tory rhetoric about defence really f-in p*sses me off. They don't actually say they would increase the defence budget. They are just as unfit to govern.
Afghanistan has been occupied by foreign troops on and off since 1908. The British,The French The Russians and American,s. For goodness sake give these people a chance to control their own destiny.
Go home all you invaders let them live in peace their own type of peace.
Instead of all the parties being adult and working TOGETHER on this issue in a professional way, all they can do is throw campaigns for their own agenda.
...live on. Let's stop talking percentages!! exactly how many operational helicopters are there? where are they? how many does each Battalion/Squadron have? how many are U/S and waiting for spare parts?how long does it take for spare parts to get there? Why have our Military been ordered to adopt the 'softly, softly' approach, you won't win the hearts and minds of the locals by letting the Taliban live, they are terrorists who rule by fear. Either let our Military do their job unhindered by politics with the full backing of the UN and the Military of the United States of Europe or bring our troops home and let them tighten and protect our borders including all Docks and Airports from home/overseas terrorists.
THE CONSERVATIVES VOTED FOR WAR
14.07.09, 11:13am
What was the commission on that sale which is costing the lives of brave soldiers put in death traps?
Shame the Tories allowed the illegal, useless Iraq war and did not make a peep about Dr Kelly's obviously suspicious and timely death and allow more useless, costly, death and destruction in Afghanistan?
Penny
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I agree with you Penny.
The Conservative Party didn't just allow the illegal wars and Regime changes and sexed up MI6 dodgy dossiers...THEY VOTED FOR IT !!
So who benefits from these Wars ? Certainly John Major who as a director of the Carlisle Group, supplied many Army purchase orders for goods and arms and non functional Belgium ammunition for the Blair Wars around the world.Did anyone notice Blairs payout trip as he left office ,around the world with his cap out ? He came home with £10 million and a book deal from the world's moneylenders whose War he had implimented.
One wonders ,had Dr Kellynot been murdered , what the shares would be doing at Qinetiq ?
I think that the British people are fed up with being taken for pawns in someone else's game.
• Posted by: JonO • Report Comment
THE BBC, THE TOP GREEDY BANKERS, THE GREEDY MP'S SHOULD PAY
14.07.09, 10:05am
If the Greedy top Bankers, the BBC top cats and the corrupt MP's who allowed these useless, costly wars which can NEVER be won, should pay for the equipment until all our boys are brought back home, or pay for our terrible hospitals, or contribute to pensions for the vulnerable elderly.
There is no point waiting until we 'win' this war as there was no point waiting until we 'won' the Iraq war as these useless wars can NEVER be won, however much money and lives are lost there.
Britian needs it's brave men back home and Britian does not need to waste money on useless wars which just serve to boost the arms trade.
Who ordered the dangerous tanks which the Americans refused as they were far too dangerous?
What was the commission on that sale which is costing the lives of brave soldiers put in death traps?
Shame the Tories allowed the illegal, useless Iraq war and did not make a peep about Dr Kelly's obviously suspicious and timely death and allow more useless, costly, death and destruction in Afghanistan?
The Conservatives should have been shouting from the rooftops ever since 1997 and they said nothing but practiced, 'cover-ups as best you can'.
Why shout now when you did not do so for over a decade?
The Bliar/Brown demolition team should have been stopped a decade ago, whilst the Tories were twiddling their thumbs and brushing horrors under the carpet, whilst wondering where they were going to dine next and with whom, instead of protecting Britain from greed, abuse and corruption at the top.
Too little, too late, Cameron.
• Posted by: Penny • Report Comment
TORIES JOIN ATTACK OF AFGHAN CAMPAIGN
14.07.09, 9:50am
Tory rhetoric about defence really f-in p*sses me off. They don't actually say they would increase the defence budget. They are just as unfit to govern.
• Posted by: JohnnyB • Report Comment
THE MOST OCCUPIED COUNTRY EVER
14.07.09, 4:25am
Afghanistan has been occupied by foreign troops on and off since 1908. The British,The French The Russians and American,s. For goodness sake give these people a chance to control their own destiny.
Go home all you invaders let them live in peace their own type of peace.
• Posted by: Youngpeter • Report Comment
I THINK THE WAR IN THE COMMONS NEEDS ADDRESSED
13.07.09, 11:51pm
That is exactly it....vote pulling tactics!
Instead of all the parties being adult and working TOGETHER on this issue in a professional way, all they can do is throw campaigns for their own agenda.
• Posted by: Hiphopper • Report Comment
WHAT PLANET DOES AINSWORTH...
13.07.09, 10:25pm
...live on. Let's stop talking percentages!! exactly how many operational helicopters are there? where are they? how many does each Battalion/Squadron have? how many are U/S and waiting for spare parts?how long does it take for spare parts to get there? Why have our Military been ordered to adopt the 'softly, softly' approach, you won't win the hearts and minds of the locals by letting the Taliban live, they are terrorists who rule by fear. Either let our Military do their job unhindered by politics with the full backing of the UN and the Military of the United States of Europe or bring our troops home and let them tighten and protect our borders including all Docks and Airports from home/overseas terrorists.
• Posted by: Disgruntled • Report Comment
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