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  Mark - what you are saying is correct and 'hearts and minds' must be at the centre of our strategy in Afghanistan. For that to work though you must be able to deliver such aid and the only way to do that, given the instability of Afghanistan, is to be there supporting the Afghan government as they do not have the military strength to maintain control over these parts of their country. indeed a stable Afghanistan is essential to stop the Taliban regaining control and allowing the terrorist training camps again in the mountains.
  
  In respect of your latter points the overseas aid budget, rightly or wrongly, is protected and a large part, if not the larger part, is spent helping nations without oil supplies or 'bountiful natural resources' and is purely for humanitarian purposes. Seperately to the aid budget one thing the UK has not been found wanting on is in respect of humanitarian aid, no-one has been more generous responding to disaster appeals than the British people. The Royal Navy has also been there for people at such times.

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