"Invasion of Afghanistan cost more than three times that of the military action in Iraq and almost three times as many UK military personally lost their lives"
Bournemouth MP calls for UK action in Afghanistan inquiry
By
Jason Lewis @JasonDailyEchoCrime and court correspondent
BOURNEMOUTH MP Tobias Ellwood has called for an inquiry into the UK military action in Afghanistan.
Mr Ellwood said the invasion of Afghanistan cost more than three times that of the military action in Iraq and almost three times as many UK military personally lost their lives.
However, to date the Iraq invasion has been subject to an inquiry and no such steps have been taken in relation to events in the central and south Asia nation.
Speaking in the House of Commons on Monday, May 24, Mr Ellwood, a former army captain with the Royal Green Jackets, said: "Operation Telic, the 2003 invasion of Iraq, cost the taxpayer £8billion and the lives of 179 UK military personnel, and there was a full independent inquiry.
"Operation Herrick, the invasion of Afghanistan, cost the taxpayer £28billion and resulted in some 450 UK military deaths, but to date the Government have not announced an inquiry.
"We now withdraw from Afghanistan just as the Taliban are on the ascent and another civil war looms. That cannot be the exit strategy that we ever envisaged, and we must understand what went wrong.
"For example, why did Donald Rumsfeld exclude the Taliban from the first peace talks in December 2001?
"If we do not understand and learn from the strategic errors of the past, this House will be hesitant to vote in favour of deploying our hard power in the future. Please, let us have that inquiry."
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said he "hears" Mr Ellwood's request, adding that he knows he recently wrote to the Prime Minister making the request for an inquiry.
"First, there is a stark difference between Iraq and Afghanistan; the article 5 triggering of that deployment and the causes behind it were not in doubt," said Mr Wallace.
"Secondly, as our former Speaker would have said, part of my right honourable friend’s salvation is in his own hands: as Chairman of the Select Committee on Defence, he obviously has significant capabilities and powers to bring forward an inquiry, if that is what he wishes.
"At present, the Government are reflecting on his letter and do not think there is a need for the same type of inquiry that we saw into what happened in Iraq.
"Of course, we do learn lessons; there have been a considerable amount of internal looks by military professionals at what is going on.
"On Donald Rumsfeld and the United States Administration, that is a matter for the US Administration and not for me. I am not able to ask what lay behind their motives as to decisions they have made over the past 20 years and I cannot therefore venture into that space."
