The military operation in Afghanistan is "worthless" and akin to the start of the Vietnam war, former SAS commander Maj Sebastian Morley has said.

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, he said the government had "blood on its hands" over the "unnecessary" deaths of four soldiers.

THE government’s human rights watchdog, chaired by Trevor Phillips, is taking on the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in a test case to extend human rights laws to soldiers on the battlefield.

It will tell the High Court this week that all British soldiers have the right to life and that the MoD has “a duty of care” to protect them — even in the heat of battle.

Jack Straw said that he would use a clause in the freedom of information act to prevent the release of cabinet minutes in which the Iraq war was discussed. He says it would do serious damage to cabinet government. Does this man not know how much damage it has done to the families?

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to call upon Defence Secretary John Hutton to instigate an independent public inquiry into the use of the Snatch Land Rover in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts
petition on No10 site

Military families have launched a petition to get a full public inquiry into the use of Snatch Landrovers - please sign and circulate as widely as possible.

The petition is on the Number Ten Downing Street website:

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/SnatchLandRover/

The families of British military personnel killed in Iraq will get Government help to visit the country and see improvements in the country their loved ones fought and died for, a defence minister has said.

Bob Ainsworth said seeing that advances in Iraq's society, economy and security will persuade families that "the loss of their sons was not in vain."

Marina Feasey, mother of two soldiers serving in Afghanistan says all British troops should be withdrawn immediately.

"The government is sending them to their slaughter. The troops are making security conditions worse."

"It's understandable that the Afghans viewed the British as invaders. If this country was invaded we would also fight until the occupiers left. My main concern over the war is the number of lives being lost. Barely a day now passes without the death of a soldier being announced.

I think a lot of people in this country believe the Afghans should be left to sort out their own problems. The idea that our troops are somehow keeping our streets safe by fighting in Afghanistan is nonsense. We are being attacked in this country because of our involvement in Afghanistan."