Highland Tory MSP hails 'huge achievement' of armed services during 20-year Afghanistan deployment
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North politician Edward Mountain has commended the sacrifices of service personnel during their 20-year deployment to Afghanistan, saying that they had given "hope to the oppressed".
In a Holyrood debate, the Conservative MSP for the Highlands and Islands also highlighted the support the UK government is providing for Afghans arriving in this country.
Operation Warm Welcome, which was announced on Wednesday, promises to ensure Afghans resettling in the UK receive support to rebuild their lives, find work, pursue education and integrate into communities.
This package of support includes £12 million to provide additional school places, £3 million to support access to the NHS and up to 300 university scholarships.
It comes on top of the UK government’s commitment of £200 million to the Afghanistan Citizens' Resettlement Scheme.
Mr Mountain said: “It’s almost 20 years since we deployed forces in Afghanistan. Our servicemen and women and their families have been under constant strain – 457 of them have given their lives and over 2200 have been injured.
“Many of those who served out there will be asking what it was all for. I have had these discussions with many ex-servicemen and women, including my son who served in Afghanistan.
“And the answer I told him and the others that I have spoken to is that in the 20-year deployment we gave hope to the oppressed and prevented Afghanistan from being used as a terrorist base.
“That is a huge achievement – one that the UK should rightly be proud of.
“No life lost protecting freedom is ever wasted unless those that benefit from those freedoms don’t remember the debt they owe. I won’t and we shouldn’t.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "We owe an immense debt to those who worked with the armed forces in Afghanistan and I am determined that we give them and their families the support they need to rebuild their lives here in the UK.
"I know this will be an incredibly daunting time, but I hope they will take heart from the wave of support and generosity already expressed by the British public."
