Extra British Troops For Afghanistan Ruled Out

With large parts of southern Afghanistan still under the sway of insurgents, commanders have discussed reinforcing the area with a 'surge' of extra troops Photo: EPA

From The Telegraph:

The expected reinforcement of troops into Afghanistan has been ruled out despite American suggestions that the force would be increased, according to senior British military sources.

A senior military official has said there was "no intention by the UK to transfer forces from Iraq to Afghanistan" when the British finally withdrew from Basra next year.

The news comes after a request for an extra 4,000 troops made this week by the British commander in Helmand, Brig Mark Carleton-Smith.

His comments came after the American defence secretary Robert Gates said last week that it was his "understanding that the UK may increase the size of its force" to deal with the "increasing challenges" in southern Afghanistan.

But the military had already "mortgaged our dividend" by having 12,000 troops deployed on operations for two years that was far above planning assumptions, the officer told defence correspondents.

Having a total of 8,000 troops on operations – the size of the force in Afghanistan – was "our ceiling" with the 4,000 in Iraq proving a massive strain on resources.

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My Comment: The British military is just a fraction of what it once was. It is incredible to think that 200 years ago the British military ruled the world.

For Afghanistan, the problems are now obvious. More troops are needed to control territory, and to seek out and destroy the Taliban. But without these extra troops, such operations are not possible. The questions then begs itself .... how are we going to win?