Afghanistan War Marred by Political, Strategic Failures, Regrets UK General

DID Press: General Sir Patrick Sanders, former commander of British forces in Helmand province, expressed regret over UK’s two-decade presence in Afghanistan, stressing that the war was marked by political and strategic failures and left no outcome that can be described as a victory.

According to Sanders, while the initial Western intervention achieved its primary objective of toppling the Taliban government, it failed to capitalize on the opportunity to build Afghanistan’s political future.

“We did not do enough to shape Afghanistan’s political path — including the fact that Taliban should have been given a role in it,” he said.

Referring to peace talks with the Taliban, Sanders noted that after British forces handed over responsibilities to Afghanistan troops, they sustained no casualties. However, decisions such as setting a withdrawal date and negotiating directly with the Taliban over the heads of the Afghan government, paved the way for eventual failure, he argued.

Summing up Britain and the West’s presence in Afghanistan, Sanders concluded: “It is difficult to describe the outcome of Afghanistan war as a victory. We do not celebrate failures, and we cannot accept uncertain strategic results as achievements.”

UK deployed around 150,000 troops to Afghanistan during its 20-year involvement, of whom 457 were killed and thousands more wounded, while billions of dollars were squandered on military operations.