General Sir Richard Dannatt

General Sir Richard Dannatt reacted to a leaked e-mail from a major with the main UK battle group in Afghanistan, which described the RAF as "utterly, utterly useless".

with, "Irresponsible comments, based on a snapshot, are regrettable,"



The First Afghan War provided a clear lesson to the British authorities that while it may be relatively straightforward to invade Afghanistan it is wholly impracticable to occupy the country or attempt to impose a government not welcomed by the inhabitants. The only result will be failure and great expense in treasure and lives.

At the time the British Army learnt a number of lessons from this sorry episode. One was that the political officers must not be permitted to predominate over military judgments.

Hansard 14 Nov 2005 : Column 679

Mr. Hurd: Can the Secretary of State reassure the House that the UK has sufficient manpower to complete our extended mission in Afghanistan without stretching logistics too thin or reducing tour intervals below the current average level?

John Reid: Yes, indeed I can. My right hon. Friend the Minister of State issued a written statement today on training and preparation as a contingency for deployment to Afghanistan. We would not undertake any further deployment there unless I was satisfied both that we had the means to do so with the maximum effect and to ensure the safety of our troops, and that we had the necessary support from the international community.

"When you're wounded and left,
On Afghanistan's plains,
And the women come out,
To cut up your remains,
Just roll on your rifle,
And blow out your brains,
And go to your Gawd,
Like a soldier."

Rudyard Kipling
.