'Their sacrifices were for NOTHING': Grieving family of servicemen killed in Afghanistan tell of heartbreak and fury as Taliban retake control and threaten to return country to the dark ages
The grieving family members of British servicemen killed in Afghanistan say they fear the loss of their loved ones has been 'for nothing', as they watch the extremist Taliban seize power once more.
Two decades ago British troops entered Afghanistan as part of a NATO-backed mission to obliterate terrorist group al-Qaeda, capture its sadistic leader Osama Bin Laden and drive the militant Taliban from power.
A total of 457 British service personnel died in the 20-year conflict - with 100 soldiers losing their lives in 2009 alone.
But with US and UK troops being withdrawn, the Taliban have rapidly swept back into power.
And many fear that the country will now be returned to 'dark age-like' policies of the previous regime, which saw oppression and violence - particularly towards women.
Now the family members of five British Armed Forces personnel killed in Afghanistan have revealed their heartbreak and fury after seeing the extremist Taliban seize back power - with one mother saying how it felt like her son's death was 'for nothing'.
Here is what some of their family members had to say about the news of the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan:
Sergeant Simon Valentine
Sergeant Simon Valentine, 29, was killed on August 15, 2009, trying to clear landmines on patrol near Sangin, Helmand Province
Sergeant Simon Valentine, 29, was killed on August 15, 2009, trying to clear landmines on patrol near Sangin, Helmand Province.
He served with the 2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.
His mother Carole Valentine told the Mirror: 'My life changed forever the day my son was killed, the grief eats you up daily and consumes you.
'I rarely sleep now, worrying if anything bad is going to happen to my other children and grandchildren. I was once a happy-go-lucky person.
'He said it was clear it was all about control of the oil and drugs out there. He died for nothing, and it destroyed my life.'
Lance Corporal Stephen Daniel Monkhouse
Lance Corporal Stephen Monkhouse was from the 1st Battalion Scots Guards was killed by small arms fire after insurgents shot a fellow serviceman in the Lashkar Gah district of Helmand in 2010
Billy Monkhouse's son Lance Corporal Stephen Monkhouse was from the 1st Battalion Scots Guards was killed by small arms fire after insurgents shot a fellow serviceman in the Lashkar Gah district of Helmand in 2010.
He was killed, along with Corporal Matthew James Stenton from The Royal Dragoon Guards, as he tried to help rescue an injured colleague.
They both receive posthumous Military Crosses, awarded to their loved ones.
Mr Monkhouse, 62, speaking last month ahead of the pull out of US troops, told the Sunday Post: 'This war was not worth the loss of my son and that of so many others. I have learned to live with the fact that he – like lots of working-class lads who went out there – was cannon fodder.
'Afghanistan was a complete waste of time. Who was ever going to take over from the coalition forces when they decided to withdraw, because the Taliban weren't going away?
'Billions of pounds were wasted. The Russians couldn't beat the Taliban and as soon as we, and the Americans, are out, they will just be back in again, because people are very frightened of them. It was all for nothing.'
Sergeant Sean Binnie
Sergeant Sean Binnie, 22, from The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland, was killed in Afghanistan on 7 May 2009
Sergeant Sean Binnie, 22, from The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland, was killed in Afghanistan on 7 May 2009.
He was killed by a gunman hiding in a doorway during a fire fight with insurgents near Musa Qaleh in Helmand province, where he was serving as part of the Battle Group mentoring the Afghan National Army .
His mother, Janette Binnie, told the i: 'I gave my son to the Army; to the Government, but now I feel like he has just been used.
'Sean's death now feels a waste. I feel it was for nothing. It is such an empty, horrible feeling.'
'The fact that the Taliban had overrun the country within 24 hours shows it was completely wrong.'
Sergeant Gareth Thursby
Sergeant Gareth ThursbySergeant Gareth Thursby
Caroline Whitaker's son Sergeant Gareth Thursby was shot dead by a rouge Afghan policeman in 2012 at a checkpoint in Helmand Province
Caroline Whitaker's son Sergeant Gareth Thursby, of the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, was shot dead by a rogue Afghan policeman in 2012 at a checkpoint in Helmand Province.
Today, as Afghanistan falls to the Taliban once more, she asks if it was worth the loss of her son and the 456 other British service personnel who died in the 20-year conflict.
She told the Mirror: 'Our sons were sent to war on a bed of lies and 20 years on we are back to square one with the Taliban in control.
'It breaks me apart and enrages me that our soldiers' lives were treated so flippantly, and I will never recover from losing Gareth.'
RAF Sergeant Ben Knight
RAF Sergeant Ben Knight, from Bridgwater, Somerset, was 25 when his Nimrod aircraft exploded in Afghanistan in 2006
RAF Sergeant Ben Knight, from Bridgwater, Somerset, was 25 when his Nimrod aircraft exploded in Afghanistan in 2006.
Today his father, Graham Knight, 25, criticised the British and US Governments' handling of the withdrawal from the nation as the Taliban starts to seize control.
The 69-year-old said: 'We're not surprised that the Taliban have taken over because as soon as the Americans and the British said they were going to leave, we knew this was going to happen.
'The Taliban made their intent very clear that, as soon as we went out, they would move in.
'As for whether people's lives were lost through a war that wasn't winneable, I think they were.
'I think the problem was we were fighting people that were native to the country. We weren't fighting terrorists, we were fighting people who actually lived there and didn't like us being there.'
Nathan Cuthbertson
The father of a solider killed on duty in Afghanistan has said his son 'died for a lost cause'.
Private Nathan Cuthbertson was serving with the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) when he was killed while on foot patrol in June 2008.
Pte Cuthbertson, of Sunderland, was one of three paratroopers who died when a lone insurgent detonated an explosive in the country's Helmand Province. He was just 19.
Since his death, his mother and father Tom and Carla have devoted themselves to honouring his legacy, with an annual bike ride from Catterick Garrison back to Sunderland which has raised thousands for charity.
Now Tom has spoken of his despair after seeing Afghanistan fall back under the control of the Taliban, saying: 'I think it is sad. I think our Nathan and others have given their lives for a lost cause.
'I am quite upset to think about all the young people who came back maimed and scarred or with mental health problems when you look at the way it has turned out. You think 'What has it all been about?'
'You have got to ask the question 'Was it worth it being there in the first place?' - the money that has been spent and all the lives that have been lost, the cost both financial and in lives is so ridiculous.
'I think that we have lost our way and it has just been a pointless, pointless war.'
What did they all die for? After 20 years, Afghanistan is abandoned in days and fears grow for our brave translators amid mounting panic in rush to flee Taliban... leaving families of 457 British heroes who sacrificed their lives asking questions
ByJohn Stevensand Vanessa Allenand James Tozer for the Daily Mail
Ministers were accused of presiding over the biggest foreign policy catastrophe in 65 years last night as the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan.
After a 20-year occupation by Western forces that saw 457 British lives lost and £22billion spent, the insurgents took the capital Kabul after routing Afghan forces in just a week.
The astonishing collapse of the Afghan regime prompted the families of British soldiers who died fighting in the country to say they felt like their loved ones had laid down their lives for nothing.
Last night there was a desperate scramble by thousands of British nationals and diplomats to escape Kabul – helped by RAF planes, paratroopers and the SAS.
Amid dramatic scenes, most UK Embassy staff were understood to have been flown out of the city on a RAF transport aircraft.
But after Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport was closed to civilian flights there were fears that hundreds of Afghan translators had been left behind in the frantic dash to flee. Up to 1,000 translators and their family members are thought to still be in the country, potentially at the mercy of vengeful Taliban fighters.
The coffin of Acting Sergeant Michael Lockett is carried from Cathcart Old Parish Church during his funeral in Glasgow, October 15, 2009
A US Chinook helicopter flies over the city of Kabul as diplomatic vehicles leave the compound after the Taliban advanced on the Afghan capital
Boris Johnson led a meeting of the Cobra emergency committee and ordered the recall of Parliament on Wednesday
Afghanistan conflict: 457 British service personnel lost their lives in the conflict - 100 in one year alone
Across the 20-year conflict, 457 brave British service personnel lost their lives.
Hundreds more were seriously injured and others also suffered the lasting mental scars of war.
Across those 20 years of war, the bloodiest in terms of British losses was 2009, when 100 British soldiers were killed in Afghanistan.
Five of those died on July 10, 2009, alone - the bloodiest day of the conflict in terms of British losses.
Five members of 9 Platoon, C Company, 2 Rifles lost their lives after a series of Improvised Explosive Devices detonated during an early morning foot patrol, near the patrol base in Wishtan, in Sangin, Helmand province. Several more were wounded in the attack.
Pictured here are the 100 British service personnel who died in 2009 in Afghanistan.
Pictured here: They are:
TOP ROW: Serjeant Chris Reed, 25; Marine Travis Mackin, 22; Capt Tom Sawyer, 26; Cpl Danny Winter, 28; Acting Cpl Richard 'Robbo' Robinson, 21; Cpl Daniel 'Danny' Nield, 31; Marine Darren Smith, 27; Lance Cpl Stephen Kingscott, 22; Rifleman Jamie Gunn, 21; Lance Cpl Paul Upton, 31.
SECOND ROW: Cpl Tom Gaden, 24; Marine Michael Laski, 21; Lance Cpl Christopher Harkett, 22; Cpl Graeme Stiff, 24; Cpl Dean John, 25; Lance Sgt Tobie Fasfous, 29; Cpl Sean Connor Binnie, 22; Rifleman Adrian Sheldon, 25; Sgt Ben Ross, 34; Cpl Kumar Pun, 31.
THIRD ROW: Lieutenant Mark Evison, 26; Marine Jason Mackie, 21; Fusilier Petero 'Pat' Suesue, 28; Sapper Jordan Rossi, 22; Lance Cpl Robert Martin Richards, 24; Lance Cpl Kieron Hill, 20; Lance Cpl Nigel Moffett, 28; Cpl Stephen Bolger (no age given); Rifleman Cyrus Thatcher, 19; Pte Robert McLaren, 20.
FOURTH ROW: Lieutenant Paul Mervis, 27; Major Sean Birchall, 33; Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe MBE, 39; Trooper Joshua Hammond, 18; Lance Cpl David Dennis, 29; Pte Robert Laws, 18; Lance Cpl Dane Elson, 22; Capt Ben Babington-Browne, 27; Trooper Christopher Whiteside, 20; Rifleman Daniel Hume, 22.
FIFTH ROW: Pte John Brackpool, 27; Cpl Lee Scott, 26; Rifleman Daniel Simpson, 20; Rifleman Joseph Murphy, 18; Rifleman James Backhouse, 18; Rifleman William Aldridge, 18; Cpl Jonathan Horne, 28; Rifleman Aminiasi Toge, 26; Cpl Joseph Etchells, 22; Capt Daniel Shepherd, 28.
SIXTH ROW: Guardsman Christopher King, 20; Bombardier Craig Hopson, 24; Warrant Officer Class 2 Sean Upton, 35; Trooper Phillip Lawrence, 22; Craftsman Anthony Lombardi, 21; Cpl Kevin Mulligan, 26; Lance Cpl Dale Thomas Hopkins, 23; Pte Kyle Adams, 21; Pte Jason George Williams, 23; Lance Bombardier Matthew Hatton, 23.
SEVENTH ROW: Rifleman Daniel Wild, 19; Capt Mark Hale, 42; Pte Richard Hunt, 21; Sgt Simon Valentine, 29; Lance Cpl James Fullarton, 24; Fusilier Simon Annis, 22; Fusilier Louis Carter, 18; Private Johnathon Young, 18; Serjeant Paul McAleese, 29; Fusilier Shaun Bush, 24.
EIGHTH ROW: Sgt Lee Houltram, Royal Marines (no age given); Sgt Stuart Millar, 40; Pte Kevin Elliott, 24; Lance Cpl Richard Brandon, 24; Pte Gavin Elliott, 19; Cpl John Harrison, 29; Kingsman Jason Dunn-Bridgeman, 20; Trooper Brett Hall, 21; Acting Serjeant Stuart McGrath, 28; Acting Sgt Michael Lockett MC, 29.
NINTH ROW: Pte James Prosser, 21; Acting Cpl Marcin Wojtak, 24; Guardsman Jamie Janes, 20; Lance Cpl James Hill, 23; Cpl James Oakland, 26; Cpl Thomas 'Tam' Mason, 27; Staff Sgt Olaf Schmid, 30; Cpl Nicholas Webster-Smith, 24; Cpl Steven Boote, 22; Guardsman James 'Jimmy' Major, 18.
TENTH ROW: Sgt Matthew Telford, 37; Warrant Officer Class 1 Darren Chant, 40; Serjeant Phillip Scott, 30; Rifleman Philip Allen, 20; Rifleman Samuel Bassett, 20; Rifleman Andrew Fentiman, 23; Cpl Loren Marlton-Thomas, 28; Sgt Robert Loughran-Dickson, 33; Acting Sgt John Amer, 30; Unnamed soldier from 1st Battalion The Royal
Late last night, the situation in the city appeared to be deteriorating rapidly, with reports of explosions and gunfire at the airport. There appeared to be chaotic scenes in the departure hall, with some people screaming and an apparent stampede.
The US Embassy in Kabul issued a warning instructing American citizens still in the city to 'shelter in place' citing the rapidly changing security situation.
Britain has already sent 600 paratroopers to help with the evacuation, but last night there were claims that the UK could deploy more, with the Royal Marines on standby.
Meanwhile, dramatic images showed Taliban fighters posing inside Kabul's presidential palace after Afghan forces collapsed and president Ashraf Ghani fled the country, believed to be bound for Tajikistan. He later said he had left to 'avoid bloodshed'.
Last night, Britain and America were accused of a 'shameful' failure and of abandoning the Afghan people. There are now fears of a humanitarian disaster as refugees try to escape the country, a brutal re-imposition of Taliban rule and the resurgence of Al Qaeda's global terror network.
Taliban fighters take control of Afghan presidential palace after the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, in Kabul, Afghanistan
A Taliban fighter poses with a US-made Afghan air force Blackhawk helicopter at captured Kandahar airfield
The Taliban standing on a roadside in Kandahar after taking over more parts of Afghanistan. The scale and speed of the Taliban advance has shocked Afghans and the US-led alliance that poured billions into the country
Commons foreign affairs committee chairman Tom Tugendhat said it was 'the biggest single foreign policy disaster' since the Suez crisis, while defence committee chairman Tobias Ellwood said the 'surrender' to the Taliban was a humiliation. On an extraordinary day:
The rights of women already painted over
A workman daubs white paint over posters of glamorous brides outside a Kabul wedding shop – in a chilling reminder of the Taliban's hatred of women's rights.
The picture was shared online by a journalist with an Afghanistan news channel.
It came as activist Malala Yousafzai, 24, who was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman as a schoolgirl, warned the country's female MPs could face horrific reprisals.
The Nobel Prize winner tweeted: 'We watch in complete shock as Taliban takes control of Afghanistan. I am deeply worried about women, minorities and human rights advocates. Global, regional and local powers must call for an immediate ceasefire, provide urgent humanitarian aid and protect refugees and civilians.'
Under the last Taliban regime, girls were not allowed an education past the age of 12, while women could not leave their homes without a burka to cover their face and body and a male relative as a chaperone.
Rangina Hamidi, a minister of education, told the BBC: 'I might face consequences that I never even dreamed of.' Another female MP, Farzana Kochai, said: 'We are just scared of what will happen.'
As recently as Friday night, British officials believed they had days if not weeks to evacuate Kabul following Taliban advances across the country. But that proved to be a catastrophic miscalculation as fighters from the hardline Islamic group entered the capital yesterday morning. By the afternoon, the Afghan president had fled and the Taliban seized the presidential palace.
Helicopters shuttled diplomats from the US embassy to the airport, while smoke was seen coming from the rooftop as sensitive material was burned.
The Taliban's takeover of the country came just five weeks after President Joe Biden confidently replied 'none whatsoever, zero' when asked if he saw any parallels between the US withdrawals from Vietnam and Afghanistan.
The Taliban's takeover of the country came just five weeks after President Joe Biden confidently replied 'none whatsoever, zero' when asked if he saw any parallels between the US withdrawals from Vietnam and Afghanistan
In a stunning rout, the Taliban seized nearly all of Afghanistan in just over a week, despite the billions of dollars spent by the US and NATO over nearly two decades to build up Afghan security forces
Militants seized the ancient palace on Sunday and demanded a 'peaceful transfer of power' as they moved into the capital, which has been gripped by panic throughout the day as US helicopters raced overhead as its diplomats were evacuated from the embassy. Bagram air base, holding ISIS and Taliban fighters, was also surrendered by troops on Sunday despite the hundreds of billions of dollars spent by the US and NATO over the past two decades to build up Afghan security forces
Mothers of British Armed Forces personnel killed in Afghanistan demand answers in letter to the Government
A group of British mothers whose sons died fighting during the Afghanistan conflict are today demanding answers from the Government after the country fell once more to the Taliban.
The mothers are demanding a public inquiry into the 20-year war, that saw 457 British service personnel lose their lives.
They have written a letter to Boris Johnson urging him to launch a probe into the conflict - and asking 'what was the point?'
In the letter, seen by the Mirror, they wrote: 'There are 457 reasons why no British soldier should ever be sent to fight in Afghanistan again.
'That is the number of heroic fallen soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice, fighting for their country.
'It's an horrific death toll that doesn't include the thousands who returned catastrophically injured, physically and mentally, and the growing suicide count.
'Now we have left the hellhole of Afghanistan and the Taliban are taking over. Again.
'What was the point in our boys giving their lives in a war we should never have been in? For our dead children and the bereaved families left behind, it has been a monumental and heartbreaking waste.
'Now we believe our boys are owed a debt for their sacrifice, with an inquiry that holds every politician that sent us to war accountable – starting with the worst culprit Tony Blair.'
Last night, the families of British soldiers who died during the Afghan operation reacted with fury at how the country had been abandoned to fall back into Taliban hands. Sarah Adams, whose son James Prosser died aged 21 when his Warrior armoured vehicle was blown up while he was serving with 2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh in 2009, last night said she was left 'asking what his sacrifice was for'.
'It's devastating to see what's being going on in Afghanistan over the past few days,' said the 59-year-old, of Cwmbran. 'Everything he worked towards will soon be torn apart. It's heartbreaking to see what's happening, not just for the families who lost sons and husbands, but for those who served and still carry the physical and mental injuries. Now it feels as if none of it was worth it.'
Wendy Rayner, who lost her husband Peter in 2010 aged just 34, said she was 'absolutely disgusted,' adding: 'It just feels like a complete slap in the face after all the sacrifices people like my husband have made.'
Sergeant Rayner, from 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, was leading his men on a routine patrol in Helmand Province when he was killed by an improvised explosive device. His widow has now written to the Prime Minister demanding an inquiry into why the achievements from Britain's sacrifice in Afghanistan have been squandered in a matter of days.
Jack Cummings, a veteran who lost both his legs in 2010 in Afghanistan, tweeted: 'Was it worth it, probably not. Did I lose my legs for nothing, looks like it. Did my mates die in vain. Yep.'
Major General Charlie Herbert, who lost many troops in the conflict, said the 'bravery and bloodshed' of servicemen and women had been 'turned to dust in just a few short days'.
He added: 'How shameful. How unforgivable. I barely have the words to describe how enraged I am.' Despite the scramble to evacuate, the ambassador Sir Laurie Bristow was said to be remaining in the city last night. Mr Johnson said he was at the airport helping to process the applications of those seeking to leave. The Prime Minister yesterday insisted Britain could 'look back at 20 years of effort and achievement In Afghanistan', as he argued he wanted to 'make sure that we don't throw those gains away'.
UK military personnel boarding an RAF Voyager aircraft at RAF Brize Norton on August 14, 2021 to travel to Afghanistan
He said: 'Remember we went into Afghanistan 20 years ago because America was attacked and America decided to invoke Article 5 of the Nato treaty appealing to all America's allies to mutual defence and to come to help solve a particular problem – the Al Qaeda presence in Afghanistan. And to a very large extent we did help America solve that, and there's been no Afghanistan-originated terror or very much less Afghanistan-originated terror on the streets of the West thanks to that effort.'
But former defence secretary Lord Robertson, who was Nato secretary general on 9/11, angrily accused the Government of a 'lack of purpose'. 'I am sickened by the prospect of the 20th anniversary being marked by the Taliban back in control of Afghanistan,' he added.
The advance of the Taliban to power was hastened by President Biden's announcement in April that all US troops would leave Afghanistan by the end of this month.
At the time he stated that the country would be left in an orderly state, but privately US Intelligence forecast the Taliban returning to power across Afghanistan within six to 12 months. Last week it emerged that this estimate had been revised to three months – but it proved to be more like three days.