British soldiers wounded in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are not eligible to timely help as the British government is reluctant to disclose the actual casualty figures in the two wars, recent media reports in Britain note.

The British "Daily Mail" reported on Sept. 22 that "the number of British soldiers being wounded in Afghanistan is far higher than the public at home realize... There is the lack of openness over casualty figures in both Iraq and Afghanistan... Though the British government publicizes some figures but they are incomplete, ignoring relatively minor battlefield wounds or injuries and that latest figures exclude the last seven weeks which have seen some of the fiercest battles to date in Afghanistan."

The charitable institutions that provide aid to these wounded soldiers disclose that the Ministry of Defense (MOD) covered up true casualty figures in excuse of maintaining secrecy, so that their aid activities have greatly been effected.

In impressions of the people the world over, Britain seems to be a society with a very high degree of "openness", and its government and political figures often cite their "openness" to flaunt and glorify themselves and reproach others, and some developing nations in particular. But today, why the British military and political authorities cover up over true casualty figures and are so difficult to reveal their secrecy?

Either in Afghanistan or Iraq, the American and British troops have been fighting the "war on terror" for years, and leaders of both nations have repeatedly said the security situation has somewhat "improved" there. But the irrefutable reality is that clashes between local armed personnel and Angl-American occupation forces have never ceased and security situation kept deteriorating. Apart from the rising battlefield casualty figures of British soldiers stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq, there has been also a frequent occurrence of non-battle casualties from unexpected misfortunes, such as mental disorder and even suicides.

Right from the very start of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, many people in Britain have questioned the justice of the two wars and are in firm opposition to the Tony Blair government in following the Bush Administration blindly and persistently. Although outsiders still cannot tell the true casualty figures, they may be far higher than British society and general public at home can endure. Otherwise, the British military and political authorities cannot be so "opaque" on this issue.

There are also media reports about some British soldiers and officers fighting on the first "anti-terrorism fronts" of Afghanistan and Iraq, who, in a low morale with an anxiety to return home, even injure themselves, flee battlefire and turn to drug addiction to embolden themselves. Not only British soldiers at the fronts are in low spirit, but young people of military age at home refuse to be recruited into the military service; and so the anti-terrorism cause of American and British authorities were seriously undermined.

British leaders spoke in defense of the wars on Afghanistan and Iraq and cheered for the United States at beginning. But British military and political authorities are now concealing true casualty figures. And this has once again laid bare the guilty conscience, predicament and helplessness of the Blair government.

By People's Daily Online