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British military tells Obama not to dither as UN evacuates 600 workers
Nicholas Cecil, Chief Political Correspondent05.11.09
British military chiefs today urged President Obama not to dither over Afghanistan as the allied death toll continues to rise.
They called on Washington to get the Afghan mission firmly back on the front foot amid fears that it is "accelerating" towards failure.
Their call came as the UN started pulling 600 staff in Afghanistan out of the country or moving them to safer areas. A senior Ministry of Defence source told The Standard: "It's time for him to make a decision.
"Without any decision, there is a concern that the British public will lose faith."
With a poll for Channel 4 News showing support for the war plummeting, former defence secretary John Hutton said: "When you are in the middle of a campaign like this, you have got to make decisions promptly. You need a proper wartime mentality." General Stanley McChrystal, the US commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan, has been warning Mr Obama for weeks, if not months, that without a troop surge, the eight-year mission will "likely result in failure".
Lord Guthrie, former Chief of the Defence Staff in Britain, accused the President of pushing the war in Afghanistan to a "tipping point" with the delay over whether to deploy tens of thousands more American troops. Tory MP James Arbuthnot, chairman of the Commons defence select committee, said: "I was not expecting him to be taking quite this time. But it's probably the most difficult and most important decision that he has had to make in his life."
October was the bloodiest month in Afghanistan for US troops, with more than 50 deaths, and British forces have also suffered heavy losses in recent months. "While President Obama makes up his mind, British and American forces are still exposed to all the risks," said former Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell.
The YouGov survey for Channel 4 News, taken after the death of the five British soldiers, shows only a third of Britons now believe the Taliban can be defeated, compared with 42 per cent two weeks ago. With 57 per cent believing the war is not winnable, compared with 48 per cent a fortnight ago, 35 per cent also say troops should be withdrawn earlier, up 10 points on last month.
Military expert Lord Ashdown warned that the Nato mission was failing at an "accelerating rate".
Armed forces minister Bill Rammell also admitted the killing of the British soldiers would have a "significant impact" on the trust between Allied and Afghan security forces. Only yesterday Labour MP Kim Howells, the chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee, called for the phased withdrawal of UK troops.
Janet Napolitano, US homeland security secretary, told the BBC: "President Obama is being very careful in his weighing up of what needs to be done in Afghanistan.
"There is no particular advantage of making a rush to judgment."
Reader views (6)
Mt nephew is being posted to Afghanistan in 2010, having undergone mountain training in Canada. I'd really like to understand just what he is fighting for. Right now there are so many mixed messages, conflicting reports and just plain lies that I wouldn't blame if he refused to go - but I know he won't. Politicians start wars, soldiers end them. Maybe more politicians should be made to send their own families out to fight, before sending mine!
- Steve, Cirencester, UK
I personally do not know whether our troops ought to be in Afghanistan or not. All I know with certainty is that our government is continuing to fail to explain to the British people with any clarity why our troops are there and to define what "winning" would look like.
I get the impression Gordon Brown and other members of the government don't really care, at least not as much as they should. If the ultimate concern is whether Pakistan's nuclear arms might fall into jihadi hands, then that ought to be clarified and the government ought to take a much greater interest in the war. It should be the first thing that Brown thinks about when he wakes in the morning. I daresay the first thing he and his ministers really think about is how to handle MPs' expenses and to fantasise in vain about the next election.
- Andrew, Hampton Hill
The Russians with 250,000 troops couldn't defeat the Taliban so what makes Gordo think we can?
- Sue, Orpington, Kent
Very true, Sue, but listen carefully. If we pull out now with the job unfinished it will mean our troops and other coalition troops will have died for nothing and al-Qaeda and the Talibvan will have scored a resounding victory. Is that what we really want? They are doing everything they can to demoralise us and weaken our resolve and posts like yours are music to their ears. We cannot afford to let them win.
- Graham Rodhouse, Helmond, Netherlands
If as I heard on the television the coalition governments know that tha Taliban hide in the hills between afganistan and pakistan why don't they just pound them with bombs for a few days and kill as many as they can,I think thats the only way.As its being fought now there's never going to be any chance of the war ending,the Russians tried it and came out licking their wounds,if that happens again with the coalition forces the situation will become a lot worse in afganistan and in the west,they will feel free to do what they want.
- Lindona, italy
Gordon Brown's assertion that our troops are in Afghanistan to prevent terrorism in Britain is nonsense! It surely did not escape his attention that when Islamic extremists wanted to perform acts of terrorism in London they did not fly in from Afghanistan - they travelled inter-city from West Yorkshire and Bedfordshire. Bring the troops home from this wasteland and strengthen the security and intelligence services here.
- Roy G, Solihull, England
My heart goes out to all the family and friends of all those who have been injured or lost their lives during this conflict. Our troops should come home as its a war we will never win. Too many corrupt and drug taking Afghan Police. How can our troops ever trust any of them. The Russians with 250,000 troops couldn't defeat the Taliban so what makes Gordo think we can. BRING OUR TROOPS HOME NOW!!
- Sue, Orpington, Kent
