US to seek more British troops for Afghanistan

Source: Guardian

US to seek more British troops for Afghanistan

Patrick Wintour and Richard Norton Taylor
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 2 August 2009 21.30 BST

Britain will come under fresh pressure to send more troops to Afghanistan this month when General Stanley McChrystal, the Nato commander in the country, tells President Barack Obama that a further troop surge by the military alliance is necessary.

The review was ordered by Obama and British officials have been closely involved. It comes as the foreign affairs select committee criticised almost every aspect of the conduct of the war, and doubted whether the Taliban represented a threat to Western security.

A former Foreign Office minister, Kim Howells, meanwhile claimed there would not be public backing for a long war in Afghanistan.

The McChrystal review is expected to call for a doubling of the Afghan army from the current 150,000 troops to more than 300,000 and a concentration of Nato forces in the populous south, rather than in the mountainous east. The review is also likely to seek US agreement to funnel more aid through the Afghan government in an attempt to build its reputation among local people.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/aug/02/afghanistan-troops-taliban-mcchrystal

Afghan war could last 'for decades': We underestimated the Taliban, says Minister

By Kirsty Walker
Last updated at 12:03 AM on 03rd August 2009

The Taliban were underestimated by the nations fighting them in Afghanistan, the Defence Minister admitted yesterday.

Bill Rammell said the 'challenge from insurgents in Helmand province is greater than we anticipated'.

His comments came after Britain's most senior diplomat warned UK troops could be stuck fighting in Afghanistan for 'decades'. ... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1203885/Afghan-war-decades-We-underestimated-Taliban-says-Minister.html