Afghanistan - Brit general admits Taliban has the initiative
shyster1
The Nato mission has “lost the initiative” against the Taliban but
will have the insurgency on the back foot within six months, the most
senior British commander in Afghanistan has said.
Thomas Harding, Defence Correspondent, in Kabu
Telegraph.co.uk
December 21, 2009
Lt Gen Sir Nick Parker admitted in an interview with The Daily
Telegraph that the alliance’s successes had “not been as good as the
success of the insurgents”.
Nato has not had “sufficient resources”, its command structures have
been inadequate and it lacked “the right cultural approach.
“We do realise that we have lost the initiative,” he said, speaking at
the ISAF (International Stabilisation and Assistance Force)
headquarters in Kabul.
With the insurgents still able to mount numerous attack across
southern Afghanistan the general admitted that they had become “too
effective” but added that the insurgency was “about to be undermined”.
Asked when the initiative would be regained he said: “Come and speak
to me in June or July.”
With at least half of the 30,000 American surge along with 500 extra
British troops deploying in the coming weeks a new offensive will
shortly be launched against the Taliban.
Inevitably this would lead to further bloodshed, admitted the general,
who is deputy to the American commander Gen Stanley McChrystal.
“Our operations over the next six months are going to involve some
serious fighting and that will mean casualties. But you have to see
this in the broader context and it is worth it.”
He added: “I do worry sometimes that we are finding it very difficult
to communicate to the public why this is worth it but this is worth it
because it will bring peace and harmony back to a country that has
been a base for international terrorism and will become so again if we
don’t do something about it.
“We have to do this for the security of the world and the UK.”
His words were echoed by the Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth who said
he could not guarantee Service families that their loved ones would be
safe when they "take the battle to the enemy".
Part of the mission is to persuade Taliban commanders to change sides
either by paying them off or offering influential positions.
For Taliban leaders who did not accept any deal Gen Parker had a
strong message.
“The people in this category are good dead or alive. If they chose to
be reconciled that’s good if they don’t we kill them.”
Despite Gordon Brown insisting that some Helmand districts would be
handed over to Afghan control by the end of next year Gen Parker
suggested it would be “very foolish to start setting deadlines for
something as critical as that”.
With more than 100 British troops killed this year the general said it
was a “staggering fact” that while the 10,000 strong force represented
a tenth of Nato troops but fought 30 per cent of the “kinetic events”
and suffered 20 per cent of the casualties.
“It demonstrates that we have been in a very challenging environment
and we have done very well in it and certainly held our own compared
to the rest of coalition.”
The officer has suffered personal family tragedy in the war after his
son Harry, an officer in the 2Bn The Rifles, suffered a double
amputation from a Taliban bomb.
Gen Parker, who was very grateful to Telegraph readers who have
contributed to the Telegraph Christmas appeal for BLESMA, said: “I
have become so much more conscious of how supportive people are. They
have been incredibly generous and do understand.”