Afghanistan: British officers' discomfort persists

(B2) The British Commander-in-Chief, Sir Jock Stirrup, has just criticized the possible transfer of soldiers from Iraq to Afghanistan and more generally the additional effort that is being asked of British forces in the country. It was this weekend on the with the BBC on the Andrew Marr Show.

His Gracious Majesty's soldiers open it... He is the second high-ranking British officer to express doubts about the way the war in this region is being conducted by the Americans and NATO. At the beginning of October, Brigadier General Mark Carleton-Smith, commander of the British forces of the Alliance, had considered, in an interview with the Times, that NATO could not win this war started eight years ago now and that the objective should henceforth be to maintain the activity of the rebels at a level controllable by the Afghan army. And what the "great leaders" say aloud is also very present in the other ranks of the Army. On November 1, Major Sebastian Morley, head of a commando of British elite forces (23 SAS) in Afghanistan resigned, after the death of 4 of his men (and wife), denouncing the inadequacy of the equipment provided to the soldiers. British, responsible according to him for the death of several of his soldiers. "The absence of heavy armored vehicles",
he explained in the Daily Telegraph, is an attitude "at best casual, at worst criminal". A resignation far from being isolated. Since it followed the departures from Col. Stuart Tootal, Brigadier Ed Butler and an officer commanding the 22nd SAS

Forces at the breaking point. Confirming to the BBC this weekend that the country will significantly reduce its troops in Iraq next year, Sir Jock Stirrup spoke out against the idea of ​​simply transferring the troops thus made available to Afghanistan. Highlighting the "tension" suffered by the British forces, he explained "This
what we do, we can do it for a short time. But we cannot continue to do so, ad infinitum. We do more than our resource structures allow in the long term." And continue. "It is essential to reduce the operational tempo of our armed forces. We cannot therefore, even if the situation requires it, ensure a "1 for 1" transfer from Iraq to Afghanistan."

The Unjust Part of the British Burden. Reacting to future US President Obama's proposal to increase the number of troops in Afghanistan, he said: "I get a little nervous when people use the word 'increase' as if it's some sort of panacea.". And to denounce the unjust weight of the burden borne by the British army: "What is clear is that we need more military forces in Afghanistan. (But) what is also clear is that everyone has to do their part (of work). As the second largest troop contributor in Afghanistan, the first thing we say is that we do not want to bear an unfair share of the burden".

NB: The UK currently has 4100 troops in Iraq and 7800 in Afghanistan.