When British troops joined US forces in Afghanistan almost seven years ago, there was little doubt, and even less controversy, about the mission. It was to capture Osama bin Laden, the presumed mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the US, destroy the camps where the Sept. 11 attackers had trained and prevent Afghanistan from ever sheltering terrorists again. ...

The task of foreign forces was clear: It was to help Afghans rebuild their ravaged land and transform it into a law-governed state. It was a task of peacekeeping and reconstruction that enjoyed widespread international support. The notion that it might become a long-term combat operation was very far from anyone’s mind. Last weekend, with the deaths of three British servicemen at the hands of a suicide bomber, the number of British casualties reached 100. The vast majority were killed in the past two years.

It is, of course, invidious to treat the 100th death as more significant than any other. ... But the day on which British casualties reached three figures inevitably prompts reflection, not only on the human cost of the Afghanistan mission to date but on the likely cost of our involvement into the future. This is not an operation whose end is anywhere in sight. ...

Now is not the time to end our commitment to Afghanistan. But it is a time to review what has been achieved, and what can realistically be achieved in the months to come. Commenting on the 100th military death yesterday, the Prime Minister said this of British casualties in Afghanistan: “They have paid the ultimate price, but they have achieved something of lasting value.” We wish that we could share his confidence.

The Independent, London

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