"I must be honest and say that, while I feel very sad to see the coffins arrive from Afghanistan with those poor young lads killed in their prime, I'm only too aware that they were trained to kill, and that there are just as many dead Afghans (civilians mostly, and among them women and children) put into the ground over there."

Just to acquaint some here of what our "Heroes/Mercenaries" (depending upon POV) have achieved in Afghanistan:

Between April 1978 and October 2001 there was no military force or organisation specifically charged with protecting civilian life in Afghanistan. Throughout that 23 year period Afghans died at an average daily rate of 307 per day.

Between October 2001 and October 2006 US - Operation Enduring Freedom Forces and ISAF operated inside Afghanistan and they were charged with protecting the general population. Throughout this five year period the average daily death toll amongst Afghan civilians was reduced to 14 per day, three-quarters of that number being Afghans killed by Anti-Government Forces.

Between October 2006 and the present day with ISAF and ANSF protecting the general population the average daily death toll amongst Afghan civilians is 5 per day (Population of Afghanistan is over 30 million). 93% of all civilians killed in Afghanistan are killed by Anti-Government Forces - The Afghan Security Forces and ISAF work very hard to prevent that happening.