North West MEP Chris Davies is calling for British troops to be pulled off the frontline in Afghanistan.
The Liberal Democrat says he is no longer convinced by the justifications given for their presence and has written to his party leader, Nick Clegg, saying that military action can only be approved when the objective is clear and that this is far from the case in Afghanistan.
Instead he is calling for NATO to talk with the Taliban, to press for a power-sharing agreement, and to use money as a tool to try and buy influence and curb abuses.
Mr Davies said: “I do not believe that our continuing presence in Afghanistan is making the streets of Britain any safer.
"We have got ourselves stuck up a blind alley in Afghanistan, and we need to get out as soon as possible," claimed the MEP.
"More than 200 British soldiers have already been killed, and many more grievously wounded.
"Let us not have more soldiers killed because politicians are too unwilling to lose face, or too embarrassed to admit that lives have been lost in vain."
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