By IRNA,
London : Former defence secretary Bob Ainsworth indicated Monday that there was no immediate change in Labour’s support and justification for the Afghan war following the election of Ed Miliband as the new party leader.
“The year ahead will be crucial for our mission in Afghanistan. We must see progress there,” Ainsworth told delegates at Labour’s annual conference in Manchester, northern England.
“But it will also be crucial for the future of our Armed Forces, crucial for defining the UK’s security agenda and crucial for determining our place in the world,” he warned.
Miliband was elected to replace former prime minister Gordon Brown as Labour leader on Saturday by defeating his older bother, David Miliband, the former foreign secretary and offering change, saying that lessons must be learnt from mistakes when the party was in power.
But Ainsworth, who is expected to be replaced as shadow defence secretary, said that although he agreed with everyone for British troops to return home as soon as possible, they are there “to help provide as part of an international effort, mentoring and training the Afghan National Security Forces.”
“On this very day – 14 years ago, Kabul fell to the Taliban. A ferocious regime that terrorised the people of Afghanistan and sheltered Al Qaeda – allowing them to launch attacks on our streets,” he said without mentioning the advance warnings issued by Iran.
“That’s a powerful reminder that we went to Afghanistan to protect our national security. And it’s a powerful reminder that the West walked away from Afghanistan before – at the end of the Cold War. We must not do so again and risk reopening the door to the terrorists.”
The former defence secretary also referred to the coalition government’s plans to set out its Strategic Security and Defence Review in the next few weeks that will shape Britain’s Armed Forces and defence policy for the future.
“The government must ensure we have the capabilities we need to defend ourselves and our interests in the future and to make sure we have the ability to contribute to the peace and security of the world,” he warned.
“So far the government is doing it so wrong – proceeding at breakneck speed,” he said. “A rushed review held behind closed doors is bad for our defence, bad for our Armed Forces and bad for Britain,” he added, warning against the proposed cuts.