Channel Four says it feels “dutybound” to examine on what ground Gordon Brown says of the 100 servicemen who died in Afghanistan that “they have paid the ultimate price but they have achieved something of lasting value.” On its always welcome Snowmail email, Ch4 lists its own yardsticks to decide if things of lasting value have been achieved and declares that “reliable measures of these things are scarce”. Not too scarce, actually. Here are my thoughts on their seven tests ….
1. Territory safely held – all of Helmand is safe, apart from three districts near the border (pictured). The main areas, including the Pashtun capital Kandahar, have been made safe by the British.
2. Schools reopened: 2,000 schools have been rebuilt in the last five years, 6.4 million children (including 1.5 million girls) are now being educated.
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