THE mother of Warrington soldier Daniel Wade, who was killed on duty in Afghanistan, says she has been left “devastated” and that her son “died for nothing” after the Taliban seized back control of the country.
After watching chaotic scenes in Kabul after the Taliban seized control of the Afghan capital, grieving Lisa Billing was moved to tears by her feelings of a senseless loss.
Daniel, a former Sir Thomas Boteler CE High School pupil, was one of six British soldiers killed by a massive Taliban bomb in Afghanistan in March 2012.
Private Wade and the five other soldiers had been on a security patrol in a Warrior armoured fighting vehicle when it was caught in an explosion in the Kandahar province.
Lisa said: “I’m devastated as to me, my son sacrificed his life for nothing. He went to war based on lies Tony Blair told.
“Now we have British nationals stuck in the embassy and they can’t guarantee them to come home,
“More families lives are being destroyed, its heartbreaking to be honest.”
The UK is now sending a further 200 troops to Kabul after the Taliban seized control of the Afghan capital.
A total of about 900 UK troops will patrol Kabul’s airport following chaotic scenes on the runway, with people attempting to flee the Taliban blocking runways and clinging on to planes as part of efforts to secure evacuation flights.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has said 350 more UK nationals and Afghans who worked with UK troops would be evacuated in “the days that come”.
He said the situation was “not what we wanted, but we have to deal with the new reality”.
He said 289 Afghans who worked with the UK had come to the UK “over the last week” and on Monday evening, the Home Office said the UK had admitted more than 3,300 Afghan interpreters, staff and their families to the UK for resettlement.
The Home Office said “it will be guided by the capacity of local authorities” when deciding how many Afghan refugees to allow to settle in the UK after the Taliban seized power.
Meanwhile, Lisa is also involved in a project with the borough council on a forgotten corner of Warrington, Marshall Gardens, close to the town’s cenotaph, which is set to be transformed as part of a community project remembering one of the town’s Alderman and those who have lost their lives in conflicts.
Weeding and clean-up operations have already started with work set to commence on the project on September 20.
Lisa is looking for local companies to sponsor memorial benches within the gardens.
Marshall Gardens was named after Hon Alderman Edward Marshall M.B.E. an influential and respected member of the community, who died in 1983 at the age of 103.
Lisa is being supported by Minds at War, mental health support.
Daniel Wade
