Britain eyes Afghan exit by 2015 at latest

US Afghanistan policy not working: French general
Paris (AFP) July 1, 2010 - The American strategy in Afghanistan is "not working," a senior French general said in comments published Thursday, saying the situation there was at an all-time low. Vincent Desportes, head of France's elite Interforces Defence College, told Le Monde newspaper that the strategy employed by former US war commander in Afghanistan, US general Stanley McChrystal, had failed to produce results. "The situation is worse than ever," he said.

"The traditional counter-insurgency doctrine, as employed by McChrystal for a year, with restrained use of firepower, air and artillery attacks to reduce collateral damage, does not seem to be working. "If the McChrystal doctrine is not working or is not accepted, it would be good to review the strategy," argued the French general, calling for the pullout of US troops to be deferred past the planned date of July 2011. McChrystal was swiftly relieved of his command in Kabul last week after he and his aides showed disdain for administration officials -- and President Barack Obama -- in a magazine profile. McChrystal's strategy entailed pouring tens of thousands of extra troops into Afghanistan to win over civilians and train local forces.

He won early praise for a drop in civilian casualties, for reaching out to Afghans and for working overtime to bring President Hamid Karzai on board. Desportes also criticised Obama's decision, announced in December, to send some 30,000 extra troops to Afghanistan. "Everyone knows it has to be either zero or 100,000 soldiers," he said, adding: "One does not fight half wars." With more than 100 foreign troops dead, June was the deadliest month since the war in Afghanistan began in the wake of the attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States.

by Staff Writers
London (UPI) Jul 1, 2010
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Britain's 9,000 troops in Afghanistan likely will be out by 2015, although some may remain to train Afghan army recruits.

Hague, in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corp, said there is no strict timetable for withdrawal.

But he also said he would be "very surprised" if Afghanistan isn't capable by then of taking full control of its own security, a prerequisite for the United Kingdom to leave the country.

He denied there were major splits within the recently formed coalition government, especially among the majority Conservative Party members, over when to leave Afghanistan.

The British contingent in the international military force is the largest in Afghanistan, after the 80,000 U.S. troops.

"We are committed to the Afghans being able to conduct their military operations and security and that takes time," Hague said. "But I would be very surprised if that took longer than 2014."

Hague said that Prime Minister David Cameron hasn't set a date for withdrawal.

"We have always said ... that the Afghan forces should be able to conduct their own affairs, should be able to stand up for themselves without other nations having to be alongside them, by 2014," Hague said.

"So I don't think it's any great surprise or any great mystery about us saying that, by 2015, really we should be in the position where Afghan national security forces will be looking after themselves."

The prime minister's office denied a split in the coalition government of the Conservative party, of which Hague and Cameron are members, and the Liberal Democrats.

Britain entered Afghanistan under the previous Labor majority government, which lost elections in May. The Conservatives eventually formed a coalition with the Liberal Democrats and put together a government.

Cameron has said Britain is "absolutely committed" to the mission in Afghanistan even after the change in military command brought about by U.S. President Barack Obama's acceptance of the resignation of U.S. Gen. Stanley McChrystal after critical comments, mostly made by McChrystal's aides, about Obama's administration appeared in a magazine interview.

Earlier this week U.K. Defense Secretary Liam Fox said British forces could be among the last to leave Afghanistan.

Fox also said that Britain and its NATO allies need to "hold our nerve" in Afghanistan. Premature withdrawal would be a "shot in the arm" to Islamic extremists worldwide and a "betrayal" of the sacrifices by British troops.

"Not only would we risk the return of civil war in Afghanistan, creating a security vacuum, but we would also risk the destabilization of Pakistan with potentially unthinkable regional, and possibly nuclear, consequences," Fox said.

All British troops in Afghanistan are stationed in Helmand province, one of the country's most dangerous. More than 300 British soldiers have died since the deployment in 2001.

Last week four soldiers died in a road accident near Gereshk, in Helmand, while on their way to help at an incident at a nearby checkpoint. They were in a Ridgback armored vehicle when it rolled off the road, ending up in deep water.

Earlier, Sgt. Steven Darbyshire, 35 and a marine from 40 Commando, was shot dead by insurgents during a security patrol in the Sangin district.

Their deaths brought the number to 18 British soldiers who died in June, making it one of the deadliest months for U.K. forces in the country.

Afghanistan's road to democracy suffered a blow this week when a U.S. House of Representatives panel voted to cut around $4 billion of aid to the Kabul government of President Hamid Karzai.

The decision was based on allegations that his government blocked corruption investigations of political allies and shipped around $3 billion is cash in suitcases outside the country in the past three years.

earlier related report
Britain eyes Afghan exit by 2015 at latest
London (UPI) Jul 1, 2010 -British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Britain's 9,000 troops in Afghanistan likely will be out by 2015, although some may remain to train Afghan army recruits.