ianstone
06-20-2010, 12:53 PM
Defence policy (http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/defence) British advances in Afghanistan have escalated conflict - UN mission chief
20th June 2010
MoD analysis is challenged as expert says Nato efforts to extend its control over new parts of the country increased the violence
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2010/6/18/1276897507405/wootton-bassett-006.jpg Mourners in Wootton Bassett on 17 June watch the hearses carrying the bodies of Lance Corporal Andrew Breeze and Private Jonathan Michael Monk, who were killed in Helmand. Photograph: Andrew Winning/Reuters Attempts by British and American forces to expand their control over Afghan territory over the past 12 months have been counter-productive and led to a worsening security situation, according to the head of the United Nations (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/unitednations) monitoring mission on the Taliban (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/taliban).
As the death toll of UK troops in the conflict reached 299 on Friday, the former UK counter-terrorism chief, Richard Barrett, told the Observer: "Most people reckon there's a deterioration."
In an implied criticism of Britain's strategy of expanding its presence in the volatile province of Helmand, he said: "Foreign troops push into areas where they haven't been before and if the Taliban are there they will start fighting. Then it's not calm. It's not calm because foreign forces have pushed in."
Barrett's comments come amid signs of restlessness from David Cameron over the direction of the Afghan mission. The prime minister said that British and coalition forces should start examining how to go "further and faster" in order to bring troops home sooner.
Barrett's analysis coincided with an official update to the UN security council yesterday which recorded a dramatic escalation of violence in Afghanistan (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/afghanistan) during the first four months of the year. Roadside bomb attacks rose by 94% compared with the same period in 2009, according to a UN assessment.
The Ministry of Defence, however, insisted that progress in Helmand had been made over the past 12 months, a period in which 76 British soldiers have been killed. The 299th British soldier to die since operations began in the country in 2001 was yesterday named as Trooper Ashley Smith from the Royal Dragoon Guards. The 21-year-old, from York, had been guarding colleagues as they cleared land by a checkpoint in Helmand.
His parents, Sandra and Dave Smith, said yesterday: "Ashley was the youngest of a very close family and doted on his parents. He worked hard and was passionate about what he was doing and proud of all he had achieved. He will be sorely missed and we are immensely proud of our son."
Cameron's hopes for an exit strategy are largely pinned on accelerating the training of the Afghan army, a policy that would in theory speed up the withdrawal of British and international troops.
But, after his latest fact-finding tour, Barrett said that the Afghan army's organisation was still "extremely weak". He said: "It needs a more professional officer corps, I think the Afghan ministry of defence would be the first to admit this.
"Can you really get the Afghans to take on a significant role? There are still problems with retention [in the army], still problems with ethnic mix.
"Even if we withdraw from front-line activity, we still have this long-term training commitment."
Barrett, a former British intelligence agent, confirmed that "a lot of talk" was building up over the possibility of the coalition supporting negotiations with the Taliban's upper hierarchy, including elements within the Quetta Shura, the arm of the Taliban which is directing the insurgency. "There are elements of senior Taliban who are either talking or who are actually making some sort of move towards talking. Where that will go is difficult to predict," added Barrett.
The UN commission monitoring the Taliban and al-Qaida works with intelligence services from all around the world and advises the UN security council. One positive development, Barrett said, was new intelligence indicating a lessening in the influence of al-Qaida.
An MoD spokesperson said: "In Helmand six districts were under government control in 2008: now 11 out of 14 are. We are also ahead of target in training the Afghan National Security Forces… As soon as the Afghans are able to manage their own internal and external security, the sooner our forces can come home."
20th June 2010
MoD analysis is challenged as expert says Nato efforts to extend its control over new parts of the country increased the violence
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2010/6/18/1276897507405/wootton-bassett-006.jpg Mourners in Wootton Bassett on 17 June watch the hearses carrying the bodies of Lance Corporal Andrew Breeze and Private Jonathan Michael Monk, who were killed in Helmand. Photograph: Andrew Winning/Reuters Attempts by British and American forces to expand their control over Afghan territory over the past 12 months have been counter-productive and led to a worsening security situation, according to the head of the United Nations (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/unitednations) monitoring mission on the Taliban (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/taliban).
As the death toll of UK troops in the conflict reached 299 on Friday, the former UK counter-terrorism chief, Richard Barrett, told the Observer: "Most people reckon there's a deterioration."
In an implied criticism of Britain's strategy of expanding its presence in the volatile province of Helmand, he said: "Foreign troops push into areas where they haven't been before and if the Taliban are there they will start fighting. Then it's not calm. It's not calm because foreign forces have pushed in."
Barrett's comments come amid signs of restlessness from David Cameron over the direction of the Afghan mission. The prime minister said that British and coalition forces should start examining how to go "further and faster" in order to bring troops home sooner.
Barrett's analysis coincided with an official update to the UN security council yesterday which recorded a dramatic escalation of violence in Afghanistan (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/afghanistan) during the first four months of the year. Roadside bomb attacks rose by 94% compared with the same period in 2009, according to a UN assessment.
The Ministry of Defence, however, insisted that progress in Helmand had been made over the past 12 months, a period in which 76 British soldiers have been killed. The 299th British soldier to die since operations began in the country in 2001 was yesterday named as Trooper Ashley Smith from the Royal Dragoon Guards. The 21-year-old, from York, had been guarding colleagues as they cleared land by a checkpoint in Helmand.
His parents, Sandra and Dave Smith, said yesterday: "Ashley was the youngest of a very close family and doted on his parents. He worked hard and was passionate about what he was doing and proud of all he had achieved. He will be sorely missed and we are immensely proud of our son."
Cameron's hopes for an exit strategy are largely pinned on accelerating the training of the Afghan army, a policy that would in theory speed up the withdrawal of British and international troops.
But, after his latest fact-finding tour, Barrett said that the Afghan army's organisation was still "extremely weak". He said: "It needs a more professional officer corps, I think the Afghan ministry of defence would be the first to admit this.
"Can you really get the Afghans to take on a significant role? There are still problems with retention [in the army], still problems with ethnic mix.
"Even if we withdraw from front-line activity, we still have this long-term training commitment."
Barrett, a former British intelligence agent, confirmed that "a lot of talk" was building up over the possibility of the coalition supporting negotiations with the Taliban's upper hierarchy, including elements within the Quetta Shura, the arm of the Taliban which is directing the insurgency. "There are elements of senior Taliban who are either talking or who are actually making some sort of move towards talking. Where that will go is difficult to predict," added Barrett.
The UN commission monitoring the Taliban and al-Qaida works with intelligence services from all around the world and advises the UN security council. One positive development, Barrett said, was new intelligence indicating a lessening in the influence of al-Qaida.
An MoD spokesperson said: "In Helmand six districts were under government control in 2008: now 11 out of 14 are. We are also ahead of target in training the Afghan National Security Forces… As soon as the Afghans are able to manage their own internal and external security, the sooner our forces can come home."