THERE was a time when the conflict in Afghanistan was the forgotten war.

With al Qaida apparently on the run after the initial routing of the Taliban in 2001, and with all eyes on Iraq following the allied invasion of 2003, precious little thought was spared for Afghanistan.

How different it is now. Yesterday, more than any other day, our nation’s focus was on Afghanistan as the bodies of eight British soldiers, killed in Helmand province within 24 hours, were flown home.

It was not a day for recriminations or politics. It was a day to pay tribute to the courage of those young men being silently carried in coffins draped in Union flags.

And it was a day to remember all those still facing grave danger in Afghanistan; fighting to establish democracy, and to stifle the spread of terrorism.

Our thoughts are with the loved ones of those brave men who have lost their lives, and with the families of soldiers still serving in Afghanistan.

A summer offensive aimed at increasing security ahead of next month’s Afghan elections goes on – and so does the daily anxiety for families in Army communities like Catterick, where every knock on the door might bring the most dreaded news.

We hope that the heartbreaking sight of those eight coffins returning home yesterday will further concentrate minds on providing the best resources and equipment possible.

If that happens, and the world is made a safer place by an ultimately successful military campaign, the once-forgotten war will be remembered for being truly worthwhile, and those lost lives will not have been wasted.