Kabul, March 07: Just weeks ahead of general elections in Britain, a fierce debate is brewing over whether British forces had been properly equipped to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Gordon Brown was embroiled in a furious row when former Prime Minister John Major accused him of using British troops as a “party political prop” on a surprise visit to thank soldiers in Afghanistan.
“Yesterday, the prime minister told the Chilcot inquiry that our troops were given everything they asked for,” said Major. “Few people believe that. Today, less than 24 hours later, the prime minister arrives in Afghanistan with yet more promises of equipment that should have been available a long time ago.”
Some former British military chiefs, however, strongly rejected Brown’s testimonial statements. They insist Brown, Chancellor of the Exchequer during the invasion, starved the military of funds required for vital equipment.
The Conservatives emphasize that Brown’s Afghanistan visit has been deliberately timed to divert attention from his testimony before the Chilcot inquiry a day earlier.
——-Agencies