The Independent publishes an account of the realities on the front line in Afghanistan, The serving officer, who does not reveal his name, spent time in Iraq and says that even that didn’t prepare him for this.
The casualties, deaths and serious injuries with multiple amputations, seem to be treated casually: “medium”, “tolerable”. Somehow the politicians, the decision makers who have committed so many lives here, have to “sell” their justification. In reality though there isn’t any.

This morning Dr Kim Howells came on the radio (Radio 4) to explain comments by fellow talking heads, Milliband, D. and Alan Johnson saying there’s no collusion with torture. Howells confirmed very eloquently that it did (does?) go on because “you can’t ensure that a foreign state won’t use torture” or something to that effect. So Britain’s hands are clean. I don’t think so.