A few weeks ago I visited Afghanistan, a place that all too often is only heard of when one of our soldiers is killed or injured. Not everyone understands why the troops are there – the official explanation being that we cannot afford another failed state.

That sounds like a cliché, but when you see a district hospital where the surgeons scrub up from a hand pump in the yard and if the patient dies on the operating table the body is simply thrown out of the back door because there are no mortuary facilities you begin to understand part of what a failed state means.

I came away with nothing but huge admiration for the commitment, dedication and professionalism of our armed forces operating in conditions of extreme heat (average of 47° when I was there) and extreme danger from Taliban insurgents.

There is a genuine optimism among the people I met that we really can make a difference to ordinary people’s lives in this war torn country, that we can help them drive the Taliban out, and to bring about democracy. We can support the local people to rebuild their own country and we can help them with the basics of a decent life - security, health and education. The elected Afghan government has only been in place for two years and progress is painstakingly slow.

British troops are working alongside civilians to reach out to these communities, to meet with the elders in the villages and agree what their priorities are, whether it’s a school,  a clinic, a new road, or access to electricity.  It’s really important that these decisions are made by the Afghans themselves and not imposed by us. And it’s also really important that the work is done by local people.

This reconstruction work is being done in the face of fierce opposition from the Taliban who have a vested interest in keeping the old feudal existence and who want to see the elected government fail. Winning the battle of hearts and minds was never more important than in Afghanistan but never more worthwhile.