More military deaths in Afghanistan, including the first female. What a sad waste of lives.

Does anyone recall why the British Army is in Afghanistan?

Is it because we are freeing that country from the grips of the Taliban?

Both the US and UK Governments were happy to provide the Taliban with arms and funds when Afghanistan was occupied by Russia - even that arch villain, Bin Laden, was on the American payroll.

So why did this relationship break down? Was it because of the terrorist attack on 9/11 on the World Trade Center?

Hardly - the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq were planned before that event took place.

Was it because the United States could no longer stand by while the country was ruled by Islamic extremists, with a lack of democracy? Not at all.

The US and the UK were more than happy to have business relationships with the Taliban - problems began when the business relationship broke down. The strategic location of Afghanistan can scarcely be overstated.

The Caspian Basin contains up to $16 trillion worth of oil and gas resources, and the most direct pipeline route to the richest markets is through Afghanistan.

Almost as soon as the Russians had left, the Bridas Corporation of Argentina acquired production leases and exploration contracts in the region, and by November 1996, had signed an agreement with the Taliban to build a pipeline across Afghanistan.

However, the American company, Unocal, had other ideas. It even invited the Taliban to meetings in Washington, Berlin and Islamabad, to persuade them to cancel the contract with Bridas in exchange for a tidy package of foreign aid.

Unfortunately, the negotiations between the Taliban, American Government officials and Unocal broke down.

According to an article in the Guardian, State Department official Christina Rocca then told the Taliban at their last pipeline negotiation in August of 2001, just five weeks before 9/11: "Accept our offer of a carpet of gold, or we bury you under a carpet of bombs."

So the occupation of Afghanistan doesn't have any noble motives. It is based purely on economics - a US/UK attempt to control the Middle East oil reserves.

This also explains the occupation of Iraq and the current threats against Iran over its non-existent nuclear weapons.

Our problem in the UK is that none of this appears likely to change in the short term, as Gordon Brown confirmed standing next to George Bush, like an obedient puppy dog, promising to put at risk even more British lives, in the interests of American hegemony.

Our problem is also that the Conservatives do not provide any opposition to what is happening, and the Liberal Democrats seem to have lost their voice.

ROGER LEE Burford Road Witney