UK special forces to remain in Afghanistan.

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18135589

http://www.guardian.c...anistan?newsfeed=true

France's new president says he is to withdraw all French troops from Afghanistan, and yet it seems Cameron is to provide up to 200 British troops, alongside 90 training officers (to train Afghan officers at the 'Sandhurst in the sand'.) who will still remain after the 2014 pull-out date.

All this as well as providing £70m a year to a £4bn international fund to stop Afghanistan once again becoming a "safe haven" for terrorists.

These 200 special forces troops are a counter-terrorism unit it seems.

Excuse me, but if our troops have spent 11 years in Afghanistan so as to protect our streets from terrorism (that is what we were told) then why after the main troop withdrawal do we now need only 200 troops to do the anti terrorism job?

[coccinelle]

The French President said he is to withdraw all combat troops not all troops. There are very few combat troops left.

[anotheoldgit]

/// France has 3,400 troops in Afghanistan, 900 vehicles, 14 helicopters and 1,400 containers that would have to be shipped back to France. ///

http://www.guardian.c...stan-troop-withdrawal

[coccinelle]

///His election pledge was to have all combat troops out of Afghanistan by the end of the year, but this allows him to leave troops in place as trainers, which Nato regards as a priority. Special forces could also remain in Afghanistan. ///

Your quote is what is in Afghanistan at the moment but all will not be withdrawn end 2012. Very few are combat troops.

[andy-hughes]

Because balancing effectiveness and success against input based on cash, resources and lives is impossible in any war, including this one.

Leaving troops or taking them home, the result will be the same - terrorism battles are not won by wars, they are won by dialogue and looking to understand differences in culture and faith.

Our withdrawal from Afghnistan, along with the alllied forces will have the same rsult all the other invasion withdrawals have had - the Afghan people will look for an organisation that history and experience tell them appear to run their country in the bext way for them - it's called The Taliban.

[anotheoldgit]

coccinelle

/// Your quote is what is in Afghanistan at the moment but all will not be withdrawn end 2012. Very few are combat troops. ///

It matters little whether or not they are combat troops, but you seems to fixed upon it, so can you tell me how many of these French non combat troops will remain behind?

[FredPuli43]

Didn't Obama promise to bring the troops home ? Don't think he'll not leave some training staff in the country. That's everyone's plan. Our 200 troops are not doing the anti-terrorism job; that was what all the others, from here and elsewhere, were there for. We know that, because President Bush told us so

[anotheoldgit]

FredPuli43

/// Our 200 troops are not doing the anti-terrorism job; ///

Up to 200 UK special forces servicemen are expected to remain in Afghanistan as a counter-terrorism unit after the formal pull-out of British forces in 2014.

[coccinelle]

///Ce qui est apparaît comme certain, c’est que, de toute façon, des militaires français seront encore en Afghanistan en 2013, ne serait ce que pour protéger le matériel qui restera à rapatrier (900 véhicules et 1.400 conteneurs) et pour continuer à former les militaires afghans.

Quant à en savoir le nombre, Jean-Yves Le Drian n’a pas été en mesure de le préciser. Comme il l’a déclaré, il attend que » les discussions aient lieu entre le chef d’état-major des armées (ndlr, l’amiral Guillaud) et le commandant des forces internationales en Afghanistan, le général américain John Allen en particulier pour mesurer comment ça se traduit en termes de chiffres et de positionnement géographique ». Et d’ajouter : « Ce n’est pas un scénario de rupture. »///

[tonyav]

coccinelle ?. Are you French.

[coccinelle]

tonyav: double nationality. This was a copy paste of what's in the news at the moment over here and i couldn't be bothered to translate. Maybe AOG can read French.

[FredPuli43]

Yes aog, "I wouldn't rule that a number [will remain for counter-terrorism]" appears to be the quote.

Anyway there's your answer from a French source. In brief,can't say how many French will remain for the same purpose as our main number, viz training . The number, and where they'd be, could not be given by the spokesman because that will be settled in the meetings of the heads of the various forces there.

[pdq1]

To leave in bulk sends a signal that we are cutting and running. To leave just 200 troops there sends a signal we have nearly finished the job and it just needs a tweak here and there.

[andy-hughes]

A signal to who pdq1? Certainly not to the British people who know a retreat without the original objective achieved - simply because that achievement was impossible. And certainly not the Taliban, who have not sat waiting patiently for the withdrawal of yet another futile invasion force - such cosmetic niceties do not impress feudal warlords who simply wish to carry on running their own country as they have for the last eight hundred years, occasional invasions from arrogant foreigners with higher budgets than intelligence notwithstanding.

[pdq1]

AH as proven by the Murdoch fiasco politicians like to portray themselves in a good light

[pdq1]

I wonder if the 200 troops remaining are volunteers. With such an unstable country they could end the same way as Lord Cardigans Light Brigade where 600 were slaughtered in the valley of death.

[whiskeryron]

coccinelle. This is an English speaking site & I for one would appreciate if only English is used when communicating.

[andy-hughes]

pdq1 - indeed they do, and it';s the hallmark of a politician that they will still try to get the best out of a bad situation, even if their behaviour has proved morally bankrupt from the start.