Afghan Conflict Needs "Decades" of Commitment: Stirrup
The British military's twin commitments to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are unsustainable, the British armed forces head commented on July 13th.
"Decades" in Afghanistan
On the subject of Afghanistan in particular, success would only come after "decades" of commitment, Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup said in comments made to the BBC.
British Troop Levels
Stirrup, yesterday, confirmed that the number of British troops deployed in Basra, Iraq, would be reduced before the end of the year. Presently, 4,000 soldiers are stationed there, along with approximately 7,800 that serve in Afghanistan.
In the case of the latter, 230 more will be posted there in coming months.
"We are structured and resourced for a certain level of commitment on an enduring basis", Sir Jock advised the BBC.
"And we're doing more than that at the moment. It doesn't mean that we can't do what we're doing. But it means we can't keep on doing it indefinitely.
"So we do need to get ourselves back down to a more sustainable operational tempo as soon as we can.
"And subject to delivering success on current operations, that has been and remains my top priority."
Afghan troop levels, he added, would be shrunk down "during the course of next year."
109 British Soldiers Killed
To date, 109 British soldiers have now been killed in the country since allied forces first started operating there nearly seven years ago.
"The international community, I think, if the enterprise is to be successful, will need to be engaged [in Afghanistan] for decades", said Stirrup.
He added: "What I am talking about is across the full spectrum of effect in terms of reconstruction, governance, finance and the economy and so on.
"In terms of the military, we will be there for a few years. But the key for us is to develop the Afghan indigenous forces - the Afghan National Army - to the stage where they can take on the lead for these responsibilities themselves."
Source - Armed Forces International's Political Correspondent
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