The shortsidedness and narrowness of perspective shown by the comments here astound me. The Afghan War is not, and never has been about poppies, heroin, and opium. It is a war against the Taliban and AlQaeda. Opium concerns must follow wresting control of the countryside from these terrorists

Jim Pivonka, La Crosse, Kansas, USA

Gov. Sher Mohd. and his staff worked with us on a reconstruction effort in Helmand irrigation with 3000 men a day, farmer dialog on no opium poppy,negotiations and eradication that reduced opium by 85% in one crop season. Funds were cut for a year. He begged for help. None came. Poppy returned. Bad?

Richard B. Scott, Drake, Colorado, USA

Send in more troops. As a soldier who will be doing his second tour in Afghanistan this year, we just need more manpower and to take a hard stance against these drug lords. We need to give them an alternative to drugs, strong leaders who offer the people solid, honest employment. We are security.

Kazuki, London, United Kingdom

No foregn force has ever conquered the proud and determined people of Afghanistan in the past 2 millenia or more : Just think of Alexander,the Great, British in 19 th century and Soviets in 1980s,

Get out quick,Mr.Brown while Karzai is offering you an excuse or repeat the perilous history.

.Abdul Jaleel, Darlington , United Kingdom

The sacrifices British troops make in Afghanistan will not go unappreciated among peace loving ordinary Afghans. But, you must know, in reality, British troops are fighting the British enemy in Afghanistan. So Bretain's deploment in Helmand has nothing to do with peace keeping in Afghanistan.

Safiullah Tazib, London, UK

Calling this crucial struggle for the rule of law "America's War" is a cynical, vile slander. If Britain is no longer willing to support the cause of Freedom, scrub the "Great" bit - we'll have forgotten what it was that made us great : the principles we were once ready to die for.

Anth, Walsall, UK

The British haven't lost their "touch" ... read books like the recent "3 Commando" or news reports on the recent operation to get a huge turbine to the Kajaki Dam.

What were are, however, are convenient scapegoats for political minnows. They can't blame the US, as if they go the war is lost!!

Douglas Newell, Saltcoats, UK

As a proud UK citizen I fully support the Western troops in Afghanistan (and Iraq). But if these guys want to blame us for their weaknesess, why the hell are our soldiers being killed for them.

Any more of this, then we should just walk away. Lets see what the Taliban do Karzai then!

Douglas Newell, Saltcoats, UK

The day the British troops leave Helmand, I am getting out of Kabul quick-sharp

TAS, Kabul, Afghanistan

The war on drugs should be fought on our boarders not some foreign country willing to have a corrupt drug dealing government. Pull out and leave them to it if we get in the way.

LLoyd, London,

I agree with the posters above. Lets pull back and not waste our guy's lives on America's war

John, Singapore,

the proud tribesmen in afghanistan will never be subdued. they are fanatical and have god on their side.
britain learned this painful lesson many years ago and then forgot it.
we are learning it again and many families in uk are paying price of this costly lesson. we must get out now

graeme Thomson, glasgow , scotland

"Karzai believes Britain’s “interference” is to blame"... Is this not the man who desperately depends on the support of the the 'British' to keep him self alive? This man is as corrupt and t two sided as they come. I truly believe we are trying to make a difference but as history has shown..........

James Oxtoby, Huddersfield, united Kingdom

the British seem to have been bungling a lot of this type of operations lately. First Basra and now Helmand - all have produced complaints about the ineffectivness of British policies from the local populace.

Have the British lost their touch?

Colin, California,

If karzai thinks Britain is to blame for the resurgence of the taliban then perhaps he should remember what happened to the last Afghan government before the taliban came to power. Perhaps he should go out into the countryside himself and keep the peace or is that for braver people than him ???

Christ, merthyr tydfil, Uk

Situation in Afghanistan will get only worse and never better for us.
The on ly solution is to withdraw all the foreign troops and position them on the Afghanistan borders, so Karzai will take care of the interior of the country.

savo, london, uk

We should pull out our troops, and let Bush's regime in Afghanistan get on with it. If our forces are not there to destroy the drugs, then we are throwing away their precious lives.
The lives of British soldiers mean more to us than the political whims of various thinly disguised dictators.

Clive Burghard, Lancing, ENGLAND