Afghanistan war veteran praised for powerful speech on Question Time

An Afghanistan war veteran has been widely praised for her powerful speech during Question Time where she has called for a public inquiry into the decisions made by Britain’s military leaders.

The ex servicewoman named Louise who was deployed to Afghanistan with the British military in 2017 and in 2018 explained how she “saw first-hand some of the benefits of us being there and some of the negatives.”

She describes how British troops knew they “weren’t there to make a radical change” but added that “we could all at least hold our heads up high and say that we were seeing green shoots emerging” in women’s education and Afghan’s being able to live peaceful lives.

As a result of the ongoing crisis in the country, where the Taliban has regained control of the capital city Kabul, the veteran said “those green shoots are now stone dead,” and details “The Afghans that I supported, I’ve heard have been executed in cold blood.”

Louise explained those she served with on previous tours who have lost loved ones “are now seriously questioning what it was all for.”

“... honestly the only way that I can feel like I cannot be utterly embarrassed and humiliated by my service is that if we as a democratic nation hold those responsible to this for account [sic], have a full parliamentary inquiry which Boris Johnson is trying to weasel out of having, trying to pretend that we don’t need one...”

The ex-service woman wants an inquiry to hold to account “both some of the political decisions but also those in the military hierarchy who are responsible for strategic and operational decisions that have led to failure.”

She then directly asks panellist and Conservative Party chairman, James Cleverly to assure her that General Nick Carter and other Generals responsible “are held in very, very humble silence for the decisions that they have made” in Afghanistan.

“I and my fellow veteran will feel in the very least we have least we have learnt something so that in 20 years time the next generation isn’t in some other country and going the same process,” she concluded.

Louise’s two-minute speech received a round of applause in the Question Time studio and has since been praised online.

Louise herself reiterated her message on Twitter, resharing the clip of herself and wrote: “I said what I said. We deserve accountability.”