Church of Scotland wants British troops out of Afghanistan

A senior minister in the Church of Scotland is calling for British troops to be brought home from Afghanistan.

The Rev Ian Galloway, Convener of the Church and Society Council of the Church of Scotland said that the military intervention in Afghanistan did not fit the criteria for a just war - the concept endorsed by many Christians of war in very exceptional circumstances.

In May, the Kirk's governing body voted to oppose the continuation of the war in Afghanistan.

It also endorsed a recent report by the ecumenical group, Action of Churches Together in Scotland, which also concluded that military intervention in Afghanistan failed to meet just war criteria on several grounds, including its lack of a "clear-cut objective" and the question of whether more harm was being caused than prevented.

Mr Galloway said: "We found that the war in Afghanistan cannot be supported. That is why we are calling for our service men and women to be brought home.”

Writing on his blog, the minister clarified further: “There are two aspects of the war. One is the International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF) set up under a UN mandate which is designed to support the Afghan National Army and police.

“The second is Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) which aims to eradicate Al Qaeda and defeat the Taliban.

"The report concluded that while the ISAF mission could be considered legitimate, the OEF aspect is no longer tenable, as there is no direct threat to our own security and the UN has not given any explicit authorisation for OEF.”