An opinion poll shows more than half of Britons think military operations in Afghanistan are futile and they want troops to be withdrawn immediately, the AFP says.
The pool result was found a day after the military had completed the first phase of a bloody offensive against the Taliban.
According to the Independent, the result displays 58 per cent see the offensive against Taliban extremists in Afghanistan as futile, whereas 31 per cent believe the conflict is winnable.
52 per cent, more than half of the 1,008 respondents said they want the troops out, while 43 per cent want them to stay.
75 per cent believe British troops lack the adequate equipment they need to perform their role in Afghanistan safely, compared to 16 per cent who think they have enough resources to fight Taliban in Afghanistan.
On the issue of weather the government should deliver more troops and resources to Afghanistan, 60 per cent of those polled do not think there is a need, according to the ConRes survey conducted over the phone earlier this month, the AFP said.
The findings, as AFP news states, were published a day after Gordon Brown had announced the end of the first phase of Operation Panther’s Claw, an offensive in the southern Helmand province launched last month.
Brown claimed success in the operation and praised the “heroic” efforts of troops in Helmand province. “The efforts of our troops in Helmand have been nothing short of heroic,” Brown said, “There has been a tragic human cost. But this has not been in vain.”
He also said troops would now focus on holding ground before bringing development to the province.
His comments came as two more soldiers were killed in the region, which has raised the death toll up to 191 that the British troops killed in Afghanistan since late 2001, and the toll was higher than in Iraq.
The surge in deaths has previously sparked a political row over the troops “lack of adequate equipment” and different UK publications reported the same issue.
The Timesonline earlier reported Sir Richard Dannatt had flown around Afghanistan in an American helicopter as the General later made it clear because there is no British helicopter available.
As the Reuters continued, Britain has around 9,150 troops in Afghanistan, the vast majority fighting Taliban militants in troubled Helmand.
According to the Timesoneline and the AFP, Foreign Secretary David Miliband reassures the public about British operation while urging NATO allies to carry more of the burden.
He said: “The biggest shift must now be towards the Afghan state taking more responsibility,” the Foreign Secretary said in a speech at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, aimed mainly at the British Public.
He then went on to warn Afghan leaders their next government must do more to defeat the Taliban and drive a wedge between the insurgents.
According to the AFP, there are about 90,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan helping local forces stabilise the country, with thousands deployed in the south to secure the restive area ahead of presidential polls on 20 August.
The vote, a key test of US-NATO backed efforts to install democracy in Afghanistan after decades of war and conflict, reportedly will be only the second time that Afghans elect a president.
Although President Hamid Karzai is favourite to win a second term, he has come under fire as his rivals opposed him for not doing more to improve security sine assuming office after the fall of the Taliban in 2001, the AFP reports.
Showing posts with label Afghanistan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Afghanistan. Show all posts
Tuesday, 28 July 2009
Wednesday, 22 July 2009
UK helicopters insufficient “clarified”
Foreign Office minister Lord Malloch Brown has clarified a comments he made in a Daily Telegraph interview that the UK did not have enough helicopters, the BBC has learnt.
He said there was "without doubt sufficient resources" for current operations in his "clarification statement” issued by the Foreign Office.
Mr Brown, who is leaving the government at the end of this week, said in the statement: "It is important that I clarify the comments that are reported in today's Daily Telegraph.
"On the issue of helicopters in Afghanistan, I was making the point - as the prime minister and commanders on the ground have also done - that while there are without doubt sufficient resources in place for current operations, we should always do what we can to make more available on the frontline." The BBC reports
Chancellor Alistair Darling has said the Treasury had never refused requests for more equipment or troops.
Mr Darling’s statement was the latest in a string of government statements insisting the Army has the necessary equipment for its role in the campaign, as part of a Nato-led coalition, said the BBC.
Previously, Lord Malloch Brown laid down an ‘astonishing’ challenge to the government that Britain need more helicopters in Afghanistan, according to his interview with the Daily Telegraph.
Andrew Porter and Mary Riddell from the Daily Telegraph wrote Mr Brown admitted the public were not warned sufficiently about Britain and the US going on the offensive in Helmand before the recent rise in casualties.
Meanwhile, he also questioned Gordon Brown’s insistence that the war was being fought to stop Afghan terrorists carrying out attacks on Britain, and he also said Gordon Brown’s future looked “bleak”, said the Daily Telegraph.
Lord Malloch Brown’s intervention in ‘the lack of helicopters row’ for British troops is particularly damaging for the Prime Minister, because his role as Foreign Office minister includes responsibility for Afghanistan.
According to the Daily Telegraph, Professor Michael Clarke, director of defence think tank the Royal United Services Institute, said Lord Malloch-Brown's comments were an 'astonishing' challenge to the Government to rethink its Afghanistan strategy.
In the BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Clarke said the helicopters row had assumed a “totemic” significance.
He said: “Everyone agrees it would be better if there were more lift helicopters ... in Afghanistan because they give you the flexibility to move people around.
"But on their own, helicopters are no silver bullet for winning wars."
He then went on to say it is astonishing to him that Malloch-Brown has said this before he steps down from the Government because Mr Brown seems to be throwing down a challenge, which is to say 'we have to rethink our strategic priorities over Afghanistan and what we are trying to achieve there'.
"That is something a number of people have said, but for a Government minister to say this at this time is very interesting."
The latest casualty in Afghanistan, according to the Daily Telegraph, was a bomb disposal expert had who had become the latest victim of the conflict with the Taliban, the 18th British soldier’s death since the start of the month.
It takes the death toll up to 186 from the start of operations in Afghanistan since 2001.
He said there was "without doubt sufficient resources" for current operations in his "clarification statement” issued by the Foreign Office.
Mr Brown, who is leaving the government at the end of this week, said in the statement: "It is important that I clarify the comments that are reported in today's Daily Telegraph.
"On the issue of helicopters in Afghanistan, I was making the point - as the prime minister and commanders on the ground have also done - that while there are without doubt sufficient resources in place for current operations, we should always do what we can to make more available on the frontline." The BBC reports
Chancellor Alistair Darling has said the Treasury had never refused requests for more equipment or troops.
Mr Darling’s statement was the latest in a string of government statements insisting the Army has the necessary equipment for its role in the campaign, as part of a Nato-led coalition, said the BBC.
Previously, Lord Malloch Brown laid down an ‘astonishing’ challenge to the government that Britain need more helicopters in Afghanistan, according to his interview with the Daily Telegraph.
Andrew Porter and Mary Riddell from the Daily Telegraph wrote Mr Brown admitted the public were not warned sufficiently about Britain and the US going on the offensive in Helmand before the recent rise in casualties.
Meanwhile, he also questioned Gordon Brown’s insistence that the war was being fought to stop Afghan terrorists carrying out attacks on Britain, and he also said Gordon Brown’s future looked “bleak”, said the Daily Telegraph.
Lord Malloch Brown’s intervention in ‘the lack of helicopters row’ for British troops is particularly damaging for the Prime Minister, because his role as Foreign Office minister includes responsibility for Afghanistan.
According to the Daily Telegraph, Professor Michael Clarke, director of defence think tank the Royal United Services Institute, said Lord Malloch-Brown's comments were an 'astonishing' challenge to the Government to rethink its Afghanistan strategy.
In the BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Clarke said the helicopters row had assumed a “totemic” significance.
He said: “Everyone agrees it would be better if there were more lift helicopters ... in Afghanistan because they give you the flexibility to move people around.
"But on their own, helicopters are no silver bullet for winning wars."
He then went on to say it is astonishing to him that Malloch-Brown has said this before he steps down from the Government because Mr Brown seems to be throwing down a challenge, which is to say 'we have to rethink our strategic priorities over Afghanistan and what we are trying to achieve there'.
"That is something a number of people have said, but for a Government minister to say this at this time is very interesting."
The latest casualty in Afghanistan, according to the Daily Telegraph, was a bomb disposal expert had who had become the latest victim of the conflict with the Taliban, the 18th British soldier’s death since the start of the month.
It takes the death toll up to 186 from the start of operations in Afghanistan since 2001.
Tuesday, 21 July 2009
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.
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.
Tuesday, 21 October 2008
War in Afghanistan - discussion from The World Tonight
I regularly listen The World Tonight from Radio 4, and Newshour from BBC World Service, both of them are excellent news programme and highly intellectual, I particularly like the presenter Robin Lustig, his way of presenting is very engaging.
The World Tonight has more news analysis element compared with Newshour, which is pretty good , because we can grab more information of what's going on in this world.
I heard the analysis about current war situation in Afghanistan from The World Tonight, it drew me a much clear picture of Afghanistan's severe turmoil - corruption, lack of decent education, thousands of civilians being killed...Now the Bush administration is trying to redefine its strategy for the coming months in Afghanistan.
The programmes combined both feature and documentary story making approach – location reporting/recording background sound fade in and fade out, archive audio clips, experts panel discussion, one local interview etc. All these treatments and approaches helps story telling.
However, the panel discussion is quite long (25 min around!), though it's separated by the local interview (with some attractive background sound) in between, I still found a bit hard to follow. Maybe could change some of the answer into the script, and let the presenter explain.
The World Tonight has more news analysis element compared with Newshour, which is pretty good , because we can grab more information of what's going on in this world.
I heard the analysis about current war situation in Afghanistan from The World Tonight, it drew me a much clear picture of Afghanistan's severe turmoil - corruption, lack of decent education, thousands of civilians being killed...Now the Bush administration is trying to redefine its strategy for the coming months in Afghanistan.
The programmes combined both feature and documentary story making approach – location reporting/recording background sound fade in and fade out, archive audio clips, experts panel discussion, one local interview etc. All these treatments and approaches helps story telling.
However, the panel discussion is quite long (25 min around!), though it's separated by the local interview (with some attractive background sound) in between, I still found a bit hard to follow. Maybe could change some of the answer into the script, and let the presenter explain.
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