Sir, – Edward Horgan demands that the seven Irish soldiers currently serving in Afghanistan are brought home immediately (March 13th). These men have a primary task; training Afghans how to detect and diffuse improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
According to the UN, 36 per cent of the children and 46 per cent of the women killed in the conflict in Afghanistan died as a result of IEDs. Hundreds more were grievously wounded. In the absence of a negotiated peace between the Afghan government and the insurgency, the training provided by Irish and other international soldiers is a vital means of avoiding such casualties in the future.
I hope that the Irish Government will not withdraw this valued assistance from the people of Afghanistan for a little longer yet. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – Edward Horgan (March 13th) refers to the presence of “up to eight” members of the Defence Forces being stationed in Afghanistan. It is no coincidence that the number is in single figures.
Under the Defence Acts if the number of Irish soldiers exceeds 12, then a resolution has to be put to the Dáil and therefore there would have to be a debate. But the Cabinet can approve such a number (ie 12 or less) of Permanent Defence Force members being stationed abroad as long as the mission complies with the Defence (Amendment) (No 2) Act, 1960, which limits that despatch to serving with a “particular International United Nations Force”. While the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is UN authorised it is, however, Nato-led and has been since 2003.
Therefore previous Irish governments – and, I would guess, this one – would be extremely reluctant to allow a debate on Ireland’s role in Afghanistan, which so easily could become a debate on the death of Irish neutrality since the US “war on terror”.
Keeping the figure of Irish soldiers operating in Afghanistan below the magical number 12, perhaps explains why six gardaí, an inspector, a sergeant and four rank-and-file officers (three of whom are members of the Emergency Response Unit) were sent to Afghanistan in 2010 rather than six members of the Irish military police. This is the most reasonable explanation, as Irish police officers have no experience of the violent chaos and war that reigns in Afghanistan.
In any case, the presence of both Irish soldiers and gardaí in Afghanistan is part of a continuing attempt to legitimise the disastrous US/Nato occupation and the corrupt puppet regime in Kabul. – Yours, etc,