Sam Chapon, who was deployed to the state with the British Army in 2011, said that during the campaign he had seen the war-torn nation turn from a ‘bombsite’ to a place where children were going to school, people were smiling and businesses were trading.
The utility company worker added that despite the country once again falling to the militant group, he did not regret serving there and said the happiness he had been able to afford the locals – however short term – had made it all worthwhile.
‘To me it [Afghanistan] is a tree that has been blossoming and, over the years, it has been growing and now it has been chopped down. Much like the Afghan flag which is green, black and red – the red is the symbol of blood – and that tree has been grown on blood. It was a country, that when I was leaving there, was on the rise. The Afghans were looking after the country.
‘Trade was working and people were smiling. Walking into villages, when I first turned up, it looked like a bombsite and when we left there were wells, running water, people were farming. It was part of that tree.
‘To see this happening now – it is quite a bit of a shock. My friends have been asking me lately, if I had the opportunity, would I go out there again now, and the answer to that is yes. What we did out there was worth it.
‘To see happiness – even if it was for a couple of months or a couple of years – to see children smiling, going to schools in areas and feeling safe, it was definitely worth it. I do not think there would be a soldier out there who would say that it was not worth it at all – not any that I served with.’
President Joe Biden, who has overseen the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, has faced criticism in recent days for not speaking about the ongoing crisis. He was yesterday due to appear at a White House press conference.
Footage emerging from Kabul Airport yesterday showed mass panic and locals, desperate to get out of the country, storming the runway and preventing evacuation flights from departing.
Mr Chapon, who began his British Army training in 2008 after leaving school the previous year, added that the sacrifices he and his fellow servicemen had made meant the Taliban’s comeback was a particularly ‘bitter pill to swallow’.
‘There are going to be Afghans out there whose lives we have touched but our personal sacrifices, physical and mental, it is always going to stay with us. That is why it is going to be such a big blow.
‘There have been times that when I came back to Jersey I found it really hard – even walking on a beach was difficult for me because the last time I was walking on sand I was looking down to see if anything was going to blow up,’ he said.
‘To see this all on the news it does take its toll on you when you think about what sacrifices you have made and what could happen to the people out there. It is tough.’
During the latter stages of the British campaign in Afghanistan, Mr Chapon said that the battle had been focussed on winning ‘the hearts and minds’ of the local people.
This week, ahead of the takeover of Kabul, a Taliban spokesman said that the group would respect women and that they were ‘committed to women’s rights’.
However, Mr Chapon said he thought the words were all part of a PR stunt and that the group’s true colours would soon show. He added that it was now the Taliban who were trying to win ‘hearts and minds’.
‘Fighting-wise, you are always told to have respect for your enemy and the Taliban are among the fiercest fighters you will ever meet.
‘They are not regular soldiers. They are not fighting for politics or a paycheck – they are fighting for their beliefs. To eradicate that is extremely difficult.
‘I remember going on one operation and we stopped off at a couple of different compounds and we were told by the locals that there had been no Taliban there for five or six months when we knew that was all lies. That was just the influence of the Taliban. It was the threat of “if you talk to the British, I will come and I will kill you as you sleep.” People were terrified,’ he said.
‘With women’s rights – I think it is just a big PR stunt. I do not believe a word of it. Their ideology is never going to change.’
