I consider it to be very unfair and unbalanced when many people blame the Afghan crisis and fleeing refugees on Great Britain and the USA.

Though I was strongly against UK occupying both Iraq and Afghanistan, one has to remember that 20 years ago, both countries were ruled by cruel and murderous dictators – and that includes the medieval religious practices of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Back then they were both good reasons (if any), for people to try and flee if they possibly could.

Yet troops moved in because they saw a threat to the West, especially with terrorism. After both dictators were ‘removed’ we should have all pulled out and left them to it. Instead and with the help of all brave soldiers, we tried to change their past way of life which included the removal of the Taliban. At first it appeared to work and the local people found new freedoms.

However, the Taliban never really went away and at the high cost of many Western troops losing lives or being permanently maimed through physical or mental injuries.

Now, because our troops have gladly and finally pulled out, we are picking up the blame for all that is going on out there that has always been in existence and also within many other surrounding nation areas.

Now I hear that we might have to accept the Taliban: invite them into NATO talks, world funds and treat them as ‘recognised’ nation leaders. When all the time we know that they took over a whole country and people via murderous and heavily-armed terror dictatorship!

The problems were there before and now they are back. The West did their best but now due to our foolish involvement, we all have to pick up the tab, pay more taxes, accept thousands of migrants for something we should have kept well out of in the first place.

Let’s hope the politicians of the future have learnt their lesson from all this so-costly mess.

CHRISTINE PETERS

Bournemouth