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10,000 UK troops 'will be fighting in Afghanistan'
Nicholas Cecil, Chief Political Correspondent14 Nov 2008
THE head of the British army today voiced concerns about moving troops from Iraq to Afghanistan, amid reports that 10,000 British soldiers could soon be fighting the Taliban.
Britain has a little more than 8,000 troops in Afghanistan and is expected to deploy more servicemen and women as part of a force surge proposed by US president-elect Barack Obama. Some reports suggest Britain could send 2,000 more troops.
But General Sir Richard Dannatt, the Chief of the General Staff, stressed that the Army was only organised to fight one war at a time. "The reason that the Army has been under such pressure for the past three years is that we are committed to fighting two wars when we are only structured to fight one," he told the Daily Telegraph.
"If we were to move troops from Iraq to Afghanistan, we would simply replicate the problems."
Officials say that the British force in Afghanistan could increase by up to 2,000, according to the BBC. But the Ministry of Defence sought to play down this report. A spokesman said: "We have not received a request for extra troops and the figure of 2,000 is not one we or Number 10 recognise."
Mr Obama has pledged to increase the number of American troops in Afghanistan by 7,000 to 8,000 and both Washington and London have urged other Nato countries, such as France and Germany, to deploy more soldiers.
Gen Dannatt added that the Government had an "absolute responsibility" to provide the best training and equipment to British troops in war zones.
Stressing that "there are no cheap options on defence", he said: "If you are committing young people to battle they have to be given the best, and when circumstances change they have to be given the best again."
He spoke out after two marines were killed in Helmand when their vehicle was hit by a bomb blast, bringing the British military death toll in Afghanistan and Iraq to 300.
The Snatch Land Rovers used by troops in Iraq have been criticised for their lack of heavy armour. Gen Dannatt said: "If we could identify a better vehicle that was small and agile, we would have something better."
