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American marines on patrol in Khan Neshin, Helmand Province, Afghanistan
Credit: Lewis Whyld
/PA
SIR – No one seems to believe that the British (and US) mission in Afghanistan was a victory, but General Lord Dannatt (Comment, July 2) overlooks key antecedents in his outline of the recent history of intervention in that country.
Notably, the proto-Taliban mujahideen under Mohammed Omar were actively supported by the United States (and Pakistan), as they were fighting the Soviet Union, which occupied Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989. We see the consequences today.
Professor Jeremy Ramsden
SIR – I’m afraid Lord Dannatt has drawn a false conclusion from our experience in Afghanistan.