By Ben Heppenstall
Sheffield City Region mayor Dan Jarvis has made an emotional appeal for the government to help the Afghan people he served alongside in Helmand Province saying: “I shudder to think where those men are now.”
Jarvis, who is also Barnsley Central MP, was deployed to Afghanistan twice during his time in the military. As a part of the first reconnaissance trips to Helmand Province between 2005 to 2006, then on a six-month tour as a company commander with the Special Forces Support Group.
Jarvis dedicated part of his speech in the House of Commons to those who he fought alongside in Afghanistan:
“I also want to reflect on the service and the sacrifice of our brave service men and women, who throughout showed outstanding professionalism and courage.
” Whatever the outcome is in Afghanistan, those men and women and their families should be proud of their service and we must be proud of them.”
He also spoke about the debt of gratitude owed to the Afghan people in general.
“Many of us who served in Afghanistan have a deep bond of affection for the Afghan people and I had the honour of serving alongside them in Helmand.
“We trained together, fought together, and in some cases died together. They were our brothers in arms.”
He then went on to criticise the government, calling it “shameful” that they didn’t intervene sooner to help the Afghan people who helped the British military.
The MP for Barnsley Central also discussed the importance of showing any refugees fleeing from Afghanistan with “compassion and genuine generosity.”
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