Simon Benson tours Afghanistan with Julie Bishop and looks at why pulling our troops out is a bad idea - daily telegraph

THE sun has been up for an hour in Kabul. The temperature is hovering around -11C. It will stay there for most of the day. The fog has cleared and the topography of the city has come into stark relief against the crisp air and ice.

Afghanistan’s 3500 year old capital, a city of almost four million, sits in a semi-arid valley 1900ms above sea level surrounded by the spectacular snow-capped Hindu Kush mountain range.

Dust and pollution, it is often said, is as bad for your health as the Taliban.

If only the pollution and dust were the main problem facing its modern inhabitants. After 13 years of war, Kabul is still one of the most dangerous places on earth.

Road side bombs and suicide attacks are a regular interruption to a city trying to rebuild.

With NATO and allied combat operations ceasing just four weeks ago, terrorist attacks have been on the rise as the country prepares for another Taliban insurgency when the fighting season begins again in the coming months.

The future of the country is now at a pivot point with military and intelligence experts warning that Afghanistan cannot be allowed to fail if the west has any hope of arresting the new wave of global terrorism.  Read More at Simon Benson, why pulling our troops out is a bad idea