In pictures: 10 years of war in Afghanistan

The war in Afghanistan, which started ten years ago tomorrow, has produced some startling and unforgettable images. Here we produce a selection.

FORMER defence secretary John Reid said he “would be perfectly happy” for British troops to leave Afghanistan without firing a shot. It was a hopeful statement, but one which proved impossible.

Since October 2001, Britain has lost 382 troops in Afghanistan. This compares to 179 UK personnel who died in Iraq between 2003 and 2009. The war has cost Britain more than £18 billion, and around 9,500 troops are still in Afghanistan.

It is not a bleak picture everywhere: success can be seen in some areas, with real signs of improvement in security and governance in the south of the country, albeit slow, cautious and fragile, says Dr Stuart Gordon of the London School of Economics. But this has not been replicated nationwide, he says: “I think the overall tide of progress is negative but in parts of Afghanistan there’s a positive tale to tell.”

Professor Malcolm Chalmers of King’s College London says: “There are lots more children going to school. There’s a younger generation coming through university who want to make a better country for themselves.

“If the Taleban had not been overthrown in 2001 … there would not have been anything like the social progress there has been in Afghanistan.”

Here we publish a series of pictures taken by Scotsman and agency photographers over the past ten years that illustrate the human cost of the conflict.

The war in Afghanistan, which started ten years ago tomorrow, has produced some startling and unforgettable images. Here we produce a selection.