What have we achieved in Afghanistan

[Gromit]

Gordon Brown has warned that the UK troops will remain in Afghanistan for another decade.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml =/news/2007/12/11/wafghan111.xml

Since the US/UK invasion six years ago, what has been achieved?

[warpig3]

Gromit, sorry I dont have an answer but didnt the Afgans hold off the Russian forces for 10 years until the Ruskies retreated, despite alleged superior 'fire power'? If I am correct then I suspect very little has been achieved, sadly. Perhaps an Aghanistanian (not even sure if that is the correct word) who lives there would be better placed to comment but are they able to?

[ludwig]

It's hard to say. We may have prevented a load of other 9/11type atrocities but because they haven't happened we'll never know.

[jno]

not a lot of progress seems to have been made: the Taliban have been driven from power but are making a comeback in the provinces. They are currently being pushsed back in Musa Qala, however. This is probably as much as could be hoped for. Countries can't be turned around overnight. It was always going to be a long haul. I think it would have been much better if we'd just stayed out of Iraq, to focus fully on Afghanistan, instead of dividing our attention and our troops.

But I see al-Qaida are now surfacing in Algeria. Time to invade!

[Lonnie]

I don't believe we can achieve anything, You have the Taliban who can cross the border into Pakistan anytime they want, we can't, cou[led with the fact their supply of arms is endless, from countries like Iran and China.

All it can achieve, is more British Army deaths.

Blair walked away, our troops can't,