COMMENT: Wave the flag and welcome our boys back (From Worcester News)

COMMENT: Wave the flag and welcome our boys back

7:10am Thursday 9th July 2009 in

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WE ARE urging our readers to line the streets of Worcester city centre tomorrow to welcome home local soldiers who have been serving their country in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Members of the Queen’s Royal Hussars will parade through the city tomorrow. You can show your support with our special ‘Welcome Home’ flag printed in this newspaper today and also available to download from our website.

Our troops are doing a fantastic job in extremely difficult circumstances, particularly in Afghanistan.

The fight against the Taliban is far from over as the deaths of seven British servicemen in the last few days, including Private Robbie Laws from Bromsgrove, prove.

Showing your support on the streets of Worcester tomorrow does not mean you necessarily support British action in Afghanistan. But our troops deserve respect whatever your views on the rights and wrongs of our military campaign.

With most UK troops now withdrawn from Iraq the situation in Afghanistan is brought into ever-sharper focus.

Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth warned yesterday that it would be many months before our boys could head for home permanently.

The goal is still to defeat the Taliban and deny al Qaeda the opportunity of using Afghanistan as a base for its terrorist attacks, as it did prior to 9/11.

Whether such a goal is achievable is debatable at best. The might of the Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan with its tail between its legs 20 years ago after nine years of fruitless military action.

The country has a history, therefore, that makes many analysts question whether the current UK and US-led operation in Afghanistan is simply too difficult.

It remains to be seen if they are correct. In the meantime, the best we can do is salute our returning troops tomorrow.