Ex-Army chief seeks Iraq withdrawal

General Sir Michael Rose, a former commander of the UN peace force in Bosnia during the 1990s, said the American and British forces in Iraq were in an impossible situation.

"There is no way we are going to win the war and (we should) withdraw and accept defeat because we are going to lose on a more important level if we don't," he said.

While accepting the allied forces couldn't just "cut and run", Sir Michael said announcing a date for withdrawal would quell the widespread fighting between the Sunnis, Shias and Kurds.

"Give them a date and it is amazing how people and political parties will stop fighting each other and start working towards a peaceful transfer of power," he said.

Sir Michael made the comments while speaking at the Hay Literary festival in mid Wales about his book Washington's War. In the book, Sir Michael draws parallels between the guerilla tactics used by George Washington against the British army in America in 1775 and by Sunni insurgents against Allied troops in Iraq.

To stand any chance of success, Sir Michael said the Allied Forces should have deployed more troops and not opted for a conventional war strategy. "You don't win wars by regime change but by changing attitudes," he said.

He said Iraq should have, in any case, been a low priority compared to the war in Afghanistan, various conflicts in Africa and the war against global terrorists.

Sir Michael also said he rang and congratulated Sir Richard Dannatt, the Chief of General Staff, for saying in October of last year that UK troops in Iraq were 'exacerbating the security problems' facing Britain around the world, and must leave 'soon'.

"He is the first General who has stood up and was counted and pointed out flaws in the strategy," said Sir Michael.