North-east soldier Sean Binnie was just 22-years-old when he was killed while on patrol with the Black Watch in Afghanistan in 2009.
He died in an “act of great courage and selflessness” but now the Taliban has seized power in the country once again, his mother has said his sacrifice was “all for nothing”.
Janette Binnie, from Crimond, spoke to BBC’s Good Morning Scotland (GMS) about her son’s experience.
She said: “Sean joined the army at 16, it was something that he always wanted to do as his father was in the army. He served in Iraq, the Falklands and Northern Ireland before going to Afghanistan.
“I didn’t understand why he went out there. He explained to me that he was there to train the Afghan national army, mentoring them to be as good as the British army, so they could control their country at some point.
“He was there to make the Afghan people’s lives better, so that children could go to school and live a happier, more free life. And so women could get more independence and more education.
She added that he “100%” believed in the work he was doing in Afghanistan and that for him it was about helping the people, not just fighting a war.
‘I’m extremely proud of my son’
Mrs Binnie told GMS that the coverage of the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan is forcing her to relive the loss of her son.
British troops are being sent back into the Afghanistan capital of Kabul this week to oversee a mass evacuation amidst the Taliban takeover.
The 20-year campaign has claimed the lives of more than 450 British servicemen and women, with Sean Binnie being the 154th soldier to be killed.
She continued: “He went where he was sent, he served his Queen and country, he saved his men that day, he saved a woman and children, and for that I’m extremely proud of my son. He had done what he should do as a typical British solider.
“But now, with everything going as it is, it just feels that all the lives lost have been in vain. At the end of the day, there are so many casualties because of that war.
‘Living a nightmare all over again’
“I think that something should have been set in place properly, I don’t think this should have happened the way it happened. I feel that they knew that the Taliban were thinking about doing something.
“Nothing will ever affect my memories of my child, nothing at all, but it does hurt because he went out there to make a difference and that difference has not been made.
“Along with all the families that have lost out there, this has just brought back so much. We’re living a nightmare all over again.
“We’re parents, we’re mothers, fathers, siblings, uncles, aunts, and we have lost the most precious thing in our life. He is not only my son, but my only son, and now it feels like it was for nothing.”
Keeping his name alive
Mrs Binnie has launched a fundraiser for Poppyscotland in her son’s name to keep his memory alive.
She hopes to raise as much money as possible to support veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other issues, as well as their families.
Talking about the troops returning to Afghanistan this week, Mrs Binnie told GMS: “I have got no idea what this will do to the troops who have come back from Afghanistan damaged beyond repair, this is going to be too much for them, I think.”
The money raised for Poppyscotland will help the charity to continue its life-changing assistance to the Armed Forces community in Scotland.
Special investigation into Afghanistan
https://wpcluster.dctdigital.com/eveningexpress/fp/news/specials/afghanistan-a-special-investigation-into-scotlands-forgotten-war/
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