Real Talk on Afghanistan

At a time when many think of the current war in Afghanistan as something that can be fixed by a surge in troop levels, Britain’s new defense secretary drops some incredibly real talk to explain to the U.K. public that “more lives will be lost” and “the situation ... is not yet decided.”

The Guardian:

More British soldiers will die in Afghanistan, the defence secretary, Bob Ainsworth, warned today as it was announced that a seventh serviceman had been killed in the country in as many days.

In his first speech since he was appointed last month, Ainsworth said the conflict in Afghanistan would be “hard and dangerous”. There was no end date for military operations, which would cease only when Afghans were in a position to take responsibility for their own security, he said.

“Let us be under no illusion. The situation in Afghanistan is serious, and not yet decided. The way forward is hard and dangerous. More lives will be lost and our resolve will be tested.”

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British Defense Secretary Bob Ainsworth: “We must stay and finish the job” in Afghanistan.