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Post by Frenchie on Jun 25, 2009 22:58:14 GMT 1
Foreign Secretary David Miliband defended the capability of British troops in Afghanistan on Thursday, saying the fact they are being reinforced by 10,000 U.S. Marines did not mean they had failed. "I think it's quite the opposite," Miliband told BBC radio before flying to a G8 foreign ministers' meeting in Italy for talks on Afghanistan, Iran and the Middle East. "It's a recognition of the changing nature of the insurgency and the focus the insurgency is bringing to attacks on Afghans and Britons in Helmand," he said, referring to the province in southern Afghanistan where 8,000 British troops are deployed. "There are 40 nations contributing militarily in Afghanistan and it's the focus that the insurgency has brought to Helmand that is bringing extra Afghan and extra American troops there. "That's not something that is a rebuke to anyone. It's what coalition means." Britain took over responsibility for Helmand in mid-2006 and started a slow build-up of troops. But in the past three years, the security situation in the vast desert-and-mountain province has changed little, with the Taliban remaining strong and foreign troops unable to hold on to large patches of territory for very long. U.S. and British commanders have acknowledged an effective stalemate. Full Story >>
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