A commentary by retired General Dannatt, :Link:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...tter-life.htmlAs Britain prepares to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, General the Lord Dannatt reviews a mission that has taken 13 years, cost 453 lives, but left a troubled nation with hope
There are some odd passages, notably over the Helmand deployment in 2006, for example:As the UK & USA have handed over Camp Bastion to the ANSF, the BBC has a series of articles. Within one is this poignant comment:As British patrols fanned out across Helmand, the Taliban challenged our presence. In June 2006, a major firefight took place in the town of Now Zad. At the time, it was not known whether this was a one-off testing of the British resolve or the pattern of things to come. It was the latter and, fearful of a resurgent Taliban movement, the Helmand provincial governor, backed by President Hamid Karzai, requested that the district administration centres be held by the British forces. This request was granted and most of the 3 Para battle group was committed to holding these centres, which became major battlegrounds.Plus a radio programme next month by a Major General Mackay who resigned after his command tour, I shall listen and report back.Any reading of the culture, the history or politics should have prevented us from taking on Helmand.
Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29744972
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