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British troops could be in Afghanistan for decades: minister
London (AFP) Jan 13, 2008 British troops could be in Afghanistan for decades, the country's Defence Secretary Des Browne said in comments published Sunday. Asked by The People weekly newspaper when Britain's soldiers would withdraw from Afghanistan, Browne said: "We cannot risk it again becoming an ungoverned training haven for terrorists who threaten the UK. "But there is only so much our forces can achieve. The job can only be completed by the international community working with the Afghan government and its army. "It is a commitment which could last decades, although it will reduce over time." Browne's comments echo those of the head of the army, senior figures in the security services and former prime minister Tony Blair that the battle against Islamist extremism could last a generation. The current prime minister Gordon Brown visited British troops in southern Afghanistan last month and told President Hamid Karzai of Britain's commitment to the country's long-term success. Britain has about 7,800 troops in Afghanistan as part of a 40,000-strong UN-sanctioned, NATO-led force aimed at helping reconstruction and fighting Taliban militia. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links News From Across The Stans
Commentary: Pakistan's Terror Inc.
Washington (UPI) Jan 11, 2008 Most terrorist trails lead back to Pakistan, Britain's MI5 (internal intelligence service) concluded a year ago. An average of some 400,000 Pakistani Brits a year fly back to the old country for vacation or to visit their relatives. From the airports in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, where they land, side trips to the madrasas -- Koranic schools -- where they were originally radicalized, or to a terrorist training camp in the tribal areas that straddle the Pakistani-Afghan border, go undetected. There is no way to keep track of thousands of passengers arriving from the United Kingdom every day. Nor can MI5 cope with up to 1,000 a day returning to their U.K. homes from trips to Pakistan. |
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