Letter: Time to reflect

British troops have now left Helmand province's Sangin area and surely now some hard questions have to be asked about what exactly has been achieved by our deployment there.

Sangin is more dangerous now than it ever was, and the Taleban still hold the ground. Civilian casualties are up, military casualties are up, opium production is up, corruption is rife and our forces still can't leave their bases without coming under attack. And we are unlikely to be bid a fond farewell by the locals, many of whom will have lost loved ones, their homes or their livelihood in the escalating fighting.

Even the latest attempt at democracy has again been marred by a low turnout, some independent observers say as little as 10 per cent, and there are numerous allegations of vote rigging and fraud, with many polling stations not even bothering to open.

The withdrawal from Sangin calls into question the wisdom of the wider British military campaign in Helmand, and what has been gained so far in return for the efforts of our service personnel.

ROBERT N MILLS

Pilgrims Hill

Linlithgow, West Lothian