British Troops to be sent to Syria?

Further to reports that chemical weapons have been used on the civilian population the Prime Minister has cut his holiday short and announced that Parliament will be recalled to debate intervening in Syria.

Sky News is reporting a build up of military aircraft at the UK RAF base in Cyprus, which could well be an indication that planning has reached a developed stage.

Let us hope that if the UK does intervene in the Syrian conflict our troops are given the requisite training and support both pre and post-deployment.

The psychological effects of war on combatants have been highlighted since the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003 with conditions including PTSD being given much more media attention.

Documentaries such as ‘Haunted by Helmand’ and Panorama’s ‘Broken by Battle’ have emphasised the devastating effects of war on our troops.

The MoD must ensure that in all future conflicts our troops are better equipped to deal with these effects.

The high numbers of military personnel suffering from mental illness following deployments and the significant number of post-war suicides among them must be a lesson to the MoD. Mistakes have been made; we must learn from them.