Some British Army veterans from the Afghan War have taken their own lives after being traumatized by the chaotic pull out by the US-led forces from the war-ravaged Afghanistan and the victory of the Taliban, Britain’s armed forces minister said on Monday.
Britain lost 475 British Army personnel in Afghanistan or 13 percent of the international military coalition’s 3500 fatalities since 2001.
“I, unfortunately, there have been soldiers who served in Afghanistan, indeed a soldier who served on my last tour in Afghanistan, who have taken their own lives in the last week or so because of the feelings they have had over what’s happening in Afghanistan. This is hugely concerning and upsetting. That makes me sick to the bottom of my stomach,” said James Heappey, a junior defence minister.
Britain is concerned that the Taliban’s return and the void left by the West’s chaotic pull out will allow militants from al Qaeda to gain a foothold in Afghanistan, just 20 years after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US.
