General warns of Afghan pullout dangers
The former head of the army has said that victory is possible in Afghanistan
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Friday, 07, Sep 2007 08:53
The former head of the British army, General Sir Mike Jackson, has warned that the Taliban may retake power if British forces leave Afghanistan.
Speaking during a BBC Two Newsnight special the general said that troops could be required in the country for a generation.
General Jackson said: "If we were not to stay the course in Afghanistan I have very little doubt the Taliban would overturn yet again the government in Kabul, the lawfully elected government. It would be a safe haven for al-Qaida and we would be back to square one or worse."
He added that the operations in Afghanistan, which have claimed the lives of 76 British soldiers to date, were needed to combat terrorism. He pointed to Wednesday's alleged foiled bomb plot in Germany as an example of why operations in the central Asian country should continue.
"We must see it through and pledges have been given to Afghanistan," he said.
"We must see it through in my view. It is strategically of vital importance. I do not believe this to be an operation of choice, I believe it to be one of necessity."
General Jackson also spoke about the different criteria for measuring success in the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq.
The former head of the army said Iraq was a counter-insurgency operation in which success would be measured by how quickly Iraqi forces were able to take over control of their nation.
He added that the problem in Iraq was of a political nature which required conflicting religious sects to reach a solution.
British forces earlier this week conducted a "pre-planned" withdrawal from the centre of Basra in southern Iraq, with analysts suggesting the UK government wants to bolster its forces in Afghanistan instead.
Taliban-led insurgency in southern Afghanistan has claimed the lives of 18 British troops since the beginning of June alone and pressure has been mounting from some within the armed forces to provide reinforcements for the troops already stationed in the country.