The true meaning of the poppy is being forgotten when it's used to support current wars and stifle criticism, says Ben Griffin, former SAS soldier.

The dead aren't the only British casualties in Afghanistan. Serious injuries are at record levels, with the number who have lost one or more limbs already higher than 2009.

The public are being urged to wear a poppy in support of "Our Heroes". There is nothing heroic about being blown up in a vehicle. There is nothing heroic about being shot in an ambush and there is nothing heroic about fighting in an unnecessary conflict.

The question should be not "What happens if we leave Afghanistan" but "What happens while we are in Afghanistan", says Afghan MP and women's rights' activist Malalai Joya.

The government says it will "remain fully committed to succeeding in the difficult mission in Afghanistan." Why, during the worst economic crisis in over half a century, is Afghanistan so central to its priorities?

US soldiers expose the farcical "exit strategy" to equip, train and handover to the Afghan army and police -- with rampant drug addiction and corruption, one in five soldiers deserting and those remaining often refusing to fight.

As ever increasing US drone attacks in Pakistan kill more civilians, people are queuing up to join the ranks of the "holy warriors" fighting the invading foreign armies.

The politicians are just waiting for a politically acceptable moment to proclaim a phoney triumph in Afghanistan and leave the Afghans to their own devices. Oabama and Cameron are knowingly sending soldiers to die in vain.

"My fellow Americans... The war in Afghanistan is a mess. It is time for me to bring our troops home -- right now. Not one more American needs to die." - President Obama's speech as reported by Michael Moore.

The US Army command in Afghanistan will say the solders who formed the "Kill Team" death squad are just five bad apples. But are they?

Video: "Sorry," says Nato, each time it is forced to admit yet again that "insurgents" it has killed in one of its attacks turned out to be children, which is happening with increasing regularity.

Solomon Hughes says, desperate to rescue a failing war in Afghanistan, the US military is recycling its "hearts-minds-and-body-parts" strategy from the Vietnam war.

On Thursday 9 September 2010 MPs voted in the parliament for the first time on the war in Afghanistan. Only 310, less than half the total in parliament, bothered to turn up to vote, of which only 16 called for the troops to come home now, as opinion polls show more than 70 per cent of the British public wants. Was your MP one of the 16? Did your MP vote? Use our e-Lobby to send your MP an instant message.

As the war in Afghanistan continues the full horror of an unwinnable conflict without no end in sight is revealed in the testimony of serving soldiers.

If the war in Afghanistan is nothing more than a cover for finding a face-saving way to declare victory and withdraw from an unwinnable conflict, why not just do that now?

"I was determined not to be blind any more. I read about the history of the conflict and began to realise I had been duped. This wasn't a war about liberation, it was about strategic influence; about economics and mineral wealth."