The latest figures from the Foreign and Defence ministries show that Denmark has spent some DKK 13 billion on operations in Afghanistan since 2001, according to Jyllands-Posten.

But Professor Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen of the Centre for Military Studies at Copenhagen University suggests the costs are greater than the results.

“The bill is too big compared to the poor results. That is one of the reasons that Denmark, the United States and Great Britain are withdrawing from Afghanistan,” Vedby Rasmussen says.

“We haven’t achieved the democracy that was wanted. If we are lucky we will get a negotiated settlement with the Taleban.

“The worst case scenario is that we simply withdraw and the Taleban takes over,” he tells Jyllands-Posten.

Development Aid Minister Christian Friis Bach (SocLib) admits the situation is uncertain, but says that there is some progress – for example that life expectancy in the country has risen from 44 to 64.

While the Liberals believe that the effort in Afghanistan is “is the least poor of the alternatives”, the Red Greens say that the almost DKK 10 billion that military operations have cost, have been wasted.

Since 2001, Denmark has provided DKK 3.3 billion in development aid to Afghanistan.

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