Scott
09-04-2009, 01:57 PM
GORDON Brown today DENIED he is letting British troops down in Afghanistan.
The PM boasted he has given Our Boys everything they need to protect themselves in the war against the Taliban.
And he dismissed attacks on his failure to fund the Afghanistan mission fully as "simply wrong".
Mr Brown lashed out a week after The Sun demanded he shows leadership on the issue.
He spelled out that the campaign is vital protect Britain and the West from al Qaeda terrorists.
But he failed to address the crucial issue of Our Boys' welfare after a week of pounding by the Forces' favourite paper.
Mr Brown defied Sun readers by saying: "Be in no doubt: we are giving our servicemen and women the additional resources they need to keep themselves safe, to fight and succeed in their operations and to bring security to Afghanistan.
"It is simply wrong to doubt the scale of our financial commitment either to our soldiers or to this campaign."
Mr Brown heaped praise on British troops in Afghanistan and told of the "heartbreaking" task of writing letters to grieving loved ones.
He pointed out they have uncovered a staggering 1,000 Taliban bombs and explosive devices this summer - saving huge numbers of lives.
And he vowed to deliver everything defence chiefs need to defeat the Taliban.
But the PM shrugged off accusations that he has failed to fund and equip the Army properly with helicopters, bomb-proof trucks and other pieces of vital kit.
Instead, Mr Brown claimed he'd more than doubled the amount spent on each soldier since 2006 to £390,000 today.
He boasted of spending £1billion on new vehicles to protect Our Boys from roadside bombs.
Yet the Premier was forced to admit it will take until Spring next year to reach a target of more helicopters in Helmand Province.
Mr Brown was stung into making the speech to defence experts in London by our "Don't You Know There's a Bloody War On?" campaign.
He acted just hours after the bombshell resignation of ministerial aide Eric Joyce in fury at the handling of the war.
The PM insisted he had DOUBLED the lump sum compensation paid to injured troops.
And he stressed he has brought in a £2,380 tax free bonus for all soldiers on a six month mission.
Mr Brown was joined by defence secretary Bob Ainsworth – now so unpopular he has been dubbed "Ainsworth-less".
And he said: "I and Bob Ainsworth are determined our forces will have every possible support."
The PM made a powerful case for staying in Afghanistan to finish the job.
He insisted it was crucial to rid Afghanistan and part of Pakistan of al Qaeda and terrorist training camps.
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He went on: "Each time I ask myself if we are doing the right thing by being in Afghanistan.
"Each time I have to ask myself if we can justify sending our young men and women to fight for this cause.
"And my answer has always been 'yes'.
"For when the security of our country is at stake we can not walk away.
"The stability of this volatile region has such a profound impact on the security of Britain and the rest of the international community.
"We cannot just do nothing and leave the peoples of Pakistan and Afghanistan to struggle with these global problems on their own."
[ Source- TheSun ]
The PM boasted he has given Our Boys everything they need to protect themselves in the war against the Taliban.
And he dismissed attacks on his failure to fund the Afghanistan mission fully as "simply wrong".
Mr Brown lashed out a week after The Sun demanded he shows leadership on the issue.
He spelled out that the campaign is vital protect Britain and the West from al Qaeda terrorists.
But he failed to address the crucial issue of Our Boys' welfare after a week of pounding by the Forces' favourite paper.
Mr Brown defied Sun readers by saying: "Be in no doubt: we are giving our servicemen and women the additional resources they need to keep themselves safe, to fight and succeed in their operations and to bring security to Afghanistan.
"It is simply wrong to doubt the scale of our financial commitment either to our soldiers or to this campaign."
Mr Brown heaped praise on British troops in Afghanistan and told of the "heartbreaking" task of writing letters to grieving loved ones.
He pointed out they have uncovered a staggering 1,000 Taliban bombs and explosive devices this summer - saving huge numbers of lives.
And he vowed to deliver everything defence chiefs need to defeat the Taliban.
But the PM shrugged off accusations that he has failed to fund and equip the Army properly with helicopters, bomb-proof trucks and other pieces of vital kit.
Instead, Mr Brown claimed he'd more than doubled the amount spent on each soldier since 2006 to £390,000 today.
He boasted of spending £1billion on new vehicles to protect Our Boys from roadside bombs.
Yet the Premier was forced to admit it will take until Spring next year to reach a target of more helicopters in Helmand Province.
Mr Brown was stung into making the speech to defence experts in London by our "Don't You Know There's a Bloody War On?" campaign.
He acted just hours after the bombshell resignation of ministerial aide Eric Joyce in fury at the handling of the war.
The PM insisted he had DOUBLED the lump sum compensation paid to injured troops.
And he stressed he has brought in a £2,380 tax free bonus for all soldiers on a six month mission.
Mr Brown was joined by defence secretary Bob Ainsworth – now so unpopular he has been dubbed "Ainsworth-less".
And he said: "I and Bob Ainsworth are determined our forces will have every possible support."
The PM made a powerful case for staying in Afghanistan to finish the job.
He insisted it was crucial to rid Afghanistan and part of Pakistan of al Qaeda and terrorist training camps.
Advertisement
He went on: "Each time I ask myself if we are doing the right thing by being in Afghanistan.
"Each time I have to ask myself if we can justify sending our young men and women to fight for this cause.
"And my answer has always been 'yes'.
"For when the security of our country is at stake we can not walk away.
"The stability of this volatile region has such a profound impact on the security of Britain and the rest of the international community.
"We cannot just do nothing and leave the peoples of Pakistan and Afghanistan to struggle with these global problems on their own."
[ Source- TheSun ]