Tony Blair has said many fine things about the struggle against Islamic extremism, and he has committed British troops to Iraq and Aghanistan, where they have performed bravely and effectively under difficult conditions, conditions that have, sadly, been made worse by the way that Britain’s armed forces have been run down under the Blair administration. The Scotsman now has details of the latest, lethal, fiasco: “British forces in Afghanistan will have a three-month wait before they receive two urgently needed helicopters to move troops around, it emerged yesterday. Military commanders in Afghanistan have urged the Ministry of Defence to provide more helicopters after the death of six soldiers in the Helmand province. Earlier this month, Des Browne, the Defence Secretary, said no helicopters were immediately available but the MoD was looking into where it could find extra aircraft to meet the request. Yesterday, he announced that two helicopters had been found, one from the Falklands and one from the UK. The first is due to arrive in Afghanistan in September, the second a month later in October. “
No helicopters were immediately available. None.
Richard at the EU Referendum blog is, rightly, not impressed.