‘Was it worth it?’: veterans of Afghan conflict reel at Taliban takeover

Former soldiers express anger and heartbreak as service in 20-year war rendered pointless'

• Afghanistan live news: troops work to restart Kabul flights

As chaotic scenes unfolded more than 4,000 miles away in Kabul, veterans of the 20-year conflict and families who lost loved ones on the battlefield have been asking the stark question: Was it worth it?"

There is a generation of Afghans who have been given a taste of what freedom is like, so you never know, but it feels pretty bleak at the moment," said Andrew Fox, a former major in the Parachute Regiment who served on three tours of Afghanistan and who has spoken openly about the impact of PTSD on his own health.