As I watched on television as the coffins of five more young British soldiers were carried from an aircraft at RAF Brize Norton yesterday, and with the number of British dead in Afghanistan now over one hundred, a small part of me thought, ‘is it really worth it?’

Yet this thought changes when you begin to hear the families of these soldiers speak. You see for them and their son, it was worth it. They explain how their sons died doing jobs they loved. Their commitment to their jobs was moving. One family described the lengths their son went to in learning the language of local villagers to improve his and his colleagues’ relations with them.

Coinciding with the arrival of the soldiers bodies in Britain, and the visit of President Bush to Downing Street, was the announcement that 230 more British troops would be sent to Afghanistan by next spring, making the total number of British personnel exceed 8,000, which is second only to the US, who have well over 20,000 troops in the region. The new troops shall be mainly specialists such as engineers, interpreters and liaison officers, and shall bolster the British presence in Kandahar and Helmand - two regions in the south which have experienced increased fighting and thus casualties over recent months.

Does this mean the Taleban are outperforming our forces? I would argue not. Defence Secretary Des Browne says the Taleban have switched from insurgency to terrorist tactics - including recruiting suicide bombers from ‘vulnerable’ Afghan communities. Yet Browne says troops are having success in southern Afghanistan, militarily, and through the reconstruction work they are assisting with, as well as the ongoing task of training many more Afghan police and army personnel to improve security.

Unfortunately, the sceptics say Browne is over-exaggerating the successes, and the proof of failure is in the intensified violence and increased number of British casualties. I would argue however, this simply means the Taleban are relying far more on cowardly, terrorist tactics, because they know the Western countries are militarily superior, and they cannot defeat them. For example, within British personnel, the Parachute regiment are challenging the Taleban more than ever, and 3 Commando Brigade are due to be deployed in the autumn to provide further support. Naturally, planting more roadside bombs appears the only logical option for the Taleban.

It’s important that we remember why we are in Afghanistan. There are two reasons, both equally important. Firstly, it’s in our national interest. When I say ‘we’, I mean all Western nations. Our own security depends on success there. If we leave, the Taleban move back in, regain control of the provinces, and return to educating young men in terrorist training camps, in preparation to launch attacks upon the West, as they did before 9/11. This must never happen.

Secondly, our presence there is the morally right thing to do. It’s right to protect the democratically elected government of Hamid Karzai. It’s right to end the oppression of women. It’s right to ensure all children receive an education. It’s right to free villagers from intimidation and guarantee their basic human rights. It’s right to end the drugs industry which sustains local war lords who act as mafia bosses. It’s right to ensure citizens have access to basic amenities such as clean water, electricity and healthcare. If the Taleban have control in Afghanistan, none of these goals would be achieved. If we leave, we effectively say to the world, ‘it’s okay to abuse people’s rights, rule by terror, train terrorists, and attack our cities and people’.

Whilst Nato’s International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF) comprises of 17 countries, and 53,000 troops, the majority of the hard fighting is being carried out by American, British, and Canadian forces. Whilst it would be fantastic to see all countries increase their funding and troop numbers, this is an overly optimistic vision. Britain’s European neighbours are as reluctant as ever to recognise the importance of the battle, and the role they ought to be playing in it. Therefore, the already largest contributors (Britain alone has spent £2 billion since 2001, with American spending far outweighing this) must increase their resources further to the area, to ensure our troops have the best possible chance of defeating the Taleban.

The hope of this happening is not as bleak as one might expect however. A key difference between the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in Britain is that the latter is far more popular in the House of Commons, the media, and the general public. The war in Iraq had nowhere near the amount of popular support. This can be used to increase the strength of our presence there. Of course, you always hear remarks and phrases which threaten to reduce the morale of our troops. For example, in one BBC news report last night, the reporter referred to the conflict in Afghanistan as ‘the so-called war on terror’. Phrases such as this must be eradicated from public discourse. We did not start the violence and oppression; we are simply trying to end it. If troops don’t think we believe in what they’re doing, they will inevitably start to believe their mission is not worth it – which would be fatal.

Casualties for British troops are now higher in Afghanistan than they are in Iraq. The latter country is now more secure than the former. Whilst there are still problems in Iraq, we removed the tyrants from power there and eradicated the threat they posed. In Afghanistan, whilst we have removed the Taleban from positions of power, they still pose a dangerous threat. In a Sky News interview recently, the reporter asked President Bush, because the British and Soviet empires ended after they left Afghanistan, would the US empire similarly end if America left? Bush was right to say that this war is not about empire and control; it’s about ‘freedom’s march’; good versus evil.

The war will be a long, hard, and drawn out struggle. More young men will unfortunately die at the hands of the Taleban. But if our success there prevents another 9/11, guarantees the Afghan people basic human rights, and sends a message across the world that tyranny, terror, and lawlessness will not be tolerated, and freedom will prevail – the struggle, and the casualties it has and will continue to bring, will be easier to bear. The soldiers will not have died in vain. It may be a remote, faraway land, but the war in Afghanistan is a fight we simply can’t afford to lose.

Richard is a conservative writer and blogger from the United Kingdom, who is interested predominantly in British and American politics, and the role each plays in foreign affairs.