Normally BT, as a matter of course, I would disagree with you, but all those young lads, with their lives in front of them, killed and injured for nothing, absolutely nothing. And all those poor buggers who live there, who worked or co-operated with us and the Yanks, I don't give much for their chances of seeing the New Year in.

It was all so predictable, it was pointed out at the time that the Red Army had failed to subdue the Taliban, there was little prospect that we would succeed where they'd failed, the Taliban would play the long game and wait until we left, and it was inevitable that eventually we would leave.

It's yet another shameful episode, but it's not the scumbag politicians who pay the price.