Nato general pay tributes to British soldiers in Afghanistan

The general secretary of Nato has paid tribute to the “critical job” British forces are doing in Afghanistan as he warned failure there would boost al Qaida’s terrorist ambitions, said the Daily Express.

Mr Scheffer, who stands down next week after five years at the helm of Nato said failure in Afghanistan would give a free run for al-Qaeda global terrorist ambitions.

Military alliance cannot afford to walk away from the country no matter how dangerous or expensive the campaign becomes, the Daily Telegraph reports.

In a speech at the Chatham House foreign affairs think tank on Monday night, he said: "If we were to walk away, Afghanistan would fall to the Taliban, with devastating effect for the people there - women in particular.

“Pakistan would suffer the consequences, with all that implies for international security. Central Asia would see extremism spread.”

"This is not conjecture. This is fact. Those who argue otherwise - who say we can defend against terrorism from home - are simply burying their heads in the sand." The Daily Express reports.

Mr De Hoop Scheffer also acknowledged it had been a "tragic period" for the UK and he paid tribute to the "critical job" that British forces were doing in the country.

The Ministry of Defence previously revealed soldier from The 2nd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers had been killed on Sunday in an explosion while taking part in a foot patrol in Sangin in northern Helmand province.

He was the 17th British soldier to die in Afghanistan since the start of the month and his loss took the total UK death toll to 186 since the start of operations in the country in 2001, said the Daily Telegraph.

Mr Scheetter emphasized however the British soldier were part of an international team fighting the Taliban in southern Afghanistan. Other countries had also suffered losses in the course of the campaign.

He went on to say if people read any national press, they could be thinking that their forces were fighting in Afghanistan alone. But the soldiers are not. All the soldiers are part of a team, he said at the Chatham House.

The General also issued a stark warning that NATO could not succeed in addressing the security challenges of the 21st century with a “20th century mindset” based on the old certainties of the Cold War.

He went on to argue, according to the Daily Express, during the Cold War, the main purpose of the alliance’s military forces was deterrence and not actually to be used, in the current environment forces had to be used.

"You cannot deter civil wars or suicide terrorists, nor can you deter states from collapsing," Mr De Hoop Scheffer said.