Public confusion over the principal objectives of the military campaign in Afghanistan has forced ministers to try to explain why so many British soldiers are dying and for what cause.

Initially, the reason for the mission in Helmand province was to ensure that al-Qaeda was prevented from ever again using Afghanistan as a safe haven for terrorism which would be damaging to Britain’s national security.

Verdict: the presence of British troops in the province since 2006 has helped to reduce the threat posed by al-Qaeda remnants who stayed behind after the Taleban was toppled in 2001. But some of the insurgents killed in clashes with British troops have turned out to be Yemenis, Chechens, Saudis and other, non-Afghan, nationalities.

Al-Qaeda responded by switching its terrorist operating centre from Afghanistan to Pakistan. So the threat to British streets from terrorism comes from Pakistan, not from Afghanistan. No one, apart from President George Bush in a speech he made several years ago, seriously believes that the Taleban is threatening Britain’s cities and towns.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

The troops of 16 Air Assault Brigade, who were the first to go to Helmand, were all told that their principal mission was “reconstruction” — in other words, to help the Afghans to improve their lives after decades of war.

Verdict: the soldiers found themselves caught up in fighting the Taleban who, until the British arrival, only faced 100 American troops running a provincial reconstruction Team (PRT) in Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital. The Taleban mounted a ferocious defence of what they considered to be their spiritual heartland. There was little time left for reconstruction, and when it did take place, it tended to be a new roof for a market here and a refurbishment of a school there.

Today, there is more development under way, but it’s largely in the hands of small teams from the Department for International Development, guarded wherever they go by armed private security men. The troops might want to build schools and roads, but they are still fighting to spread security and stability in key zones in order for work to start.

Rating: 5 out of 10.

The objective of Operation Herrick, codename for the British military campaign in Afghanistan, slowly began to suffer from mission creep. Tony Blair, when he was Prime Minister, emphasised that the troops were also there to tackle the heroin trade in Afghanistan. He warned the public that more than 90 per cent of the heroin that reached the streets of Britain and ended up ruining young people’s lives came from Afghanistan.

Verdict: Britain was given the responsibility under the so-called Bonn agreement to deal with counter-narcotics. But the achievements were limited in the first few years. Up to £20 million was spent putting money into the pockets of Afghan farmers to persuade them to turn to growing wheat and maize and vegetables, but to no avail. The poppy harvesting continued at record rates.

Today, progress has been made in targeting the opium traffickers and destroying stocks when found. But British troops have played no part in eradicating poppy fields; indeed they patrol through the fields during the poppy season in late April and early May and do nothing to stop the farmers from scraping the resin from the poppy heads which is then converted into opium. The yield from the last poppy harvest was down on the previous year but that had more to do with poor weather than successful missions by the international community to persuade poppy farmers to go straight.

Rating: 2 out of 10.

In addition to keeping out al-Qaeda, the Government has also stated the objective of spreading Afghan governance throughout Helmand, and ensuring that the presidential election on August 20 can go ahead without Taleban interference and intimidation.

Verdict: ask any Afghan official in Helmand whether he is able to do his job without fears for his safety. He will say that it is impossible to carry out all his responsibilities because there are areas which are still too dangerous. There also appears to be limited interest in Helmand development programes from within the government of President Karzai in Kabul. One district governor in Helmand told The Times that he had not been visited once by a ministry representative from the capital.

It is too early to know whether Operation Panther’s Claw, the mission to drive the Taleban out of central Helmand, will succeed in allowing the election to go ahead peacefully.

Rating: 4 out of 10.

Harriet Harman, the Leader of the Commons, introduced a further mission-creep objective to the British campaign when, last week in the Commons, she said that the provision of school places for children was a vital aim.

Verdict: although her remark was not totally incompatible with the objective of spreading governance and helping the Afghans to improve their lives, it helped further to muddy the waters over why 9,000 British troops are serving in southern Afghanistan. It is true, nevertheless, that millions more Afghan boys, and in particular, girls, are now going to school but often have to take classes in the heat of the day in makeshift tented classrooms.

Rating: 5 out of 10.

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