Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Gordon brown faces critism of lying about withdrawal from Irag to British , as Obama send 30 000 troops more to Afganisthan


A U.S. Army cadet reads a book entitled 'Kill Bin Laden' as he waits with other cadets for U.S. President Barack Obama to deliver his address

Another U.S. Army cadet reads an apporpriately titled book before the speech this morning. IN the book, author Dave Grossman investigates the psychology of killing in combat

President Obama speaks in Eisenhower Hall at the United States Military Academy last night

Anti-war demonstrators stand in front of Thayer Gate at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point last night

Ranks of soldiers at West Point bow their heads in silence before they listen to President Obama

Meeting the man: Cadets line up to shake hands with their president following his speech

Barack Obama is photographed with cadets after he spoke in Eisenhower Hall at the United States Military Academy this morning

Line up: Secretary of Defence, Robert Gates (second right) joins Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki; Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Administration Mike Mullen, and General David Petraeus

U.S. soldiers patrol through the heart of Kabul, Afghanistan, this morning. Many Afghans were still sleeping when President Barack Obama announced he was sending 30,000 more U.S. troops to the war

Sergeant Joseph Delair of Syracuse, New York, fingerprints and photographs men from a nearby village at the Sahowza District Centre this morning. The men are registered and checked in the system to make sure they are not wanted as an enemy combatant

Commons dispute: Gordon Brown and David Cameron at Prime Minister's Questions. The Tory leader accused the Mr Brown giving 'false expectations' to British troops over the start of a pull-out from Afghanistan

Gordon Brown was today accused of allowing the public to be misled about when British troops would start withdrawing from Afganistan.

As Barack Obama unveiled plans to send an extra 30,000 U.S. soldiers to the country, the Prime Minister clashed with David Cameron over Britain's military strategy.

Mr Cameron told MPs the Prime Minister at the weekend had said he was looking at transferring at least five Afghan provinces to Afghan control by the end of 2010, including parts of Helmand.

'This was widely interpreted as a commitment to start the withdrawal of British troops in 2010. It's important we don't give false expectations to British troops or mixed messages to anybody else.

'Can you clarify whether you would expect British troop numbers to start reducing in 2010 or 2011.'

The question came after Barack Obama unveiled an ambitious strategy to begin withdrawals from the war-torn country in 2011.

Mr Brown said he had made it absolutely clear that 'there was no question of us withdrawing our troops until the point that we were sure that the Afghans could take over security control themselves'.

He told Mr Cameron: 'Even if one or two parts of a district or a province are transferred in 2010, we will continue to have our troops in Afghanistan at that point.

'By 2011 there will be over 300,000 troops - Afghan, American, British and coalition troops - and that is the point at which the balance between Afghan forces and British, American and coalition troops, will start to change.'

Last night, in a highly-anticipated address, the U.S. leader pledged to bring the conflict to a 'successful conclusion' by introducing the surge as quickly as possible.

But while increasing the total American presence in the region to almost 100,000 by next summer, Mr Obama warned that the commitment would not be open-ended.

He set out plans for Afghan security forces to be trained to a sufficient level to enable the US to start pulling troops out as early as July 2011.

The president also appealed to the America's allies to step up their own commitments in the region, insisting: 'This is not just America's war.'

His strategy was endorsed by Mr Brown, who was briefed by his U.S. counterpart in advance of the speech.

The Prime Minister, who announced this week that the UK's military commitment would be increased to more than 10,000 troops, said: 'I call on all our allies to unite behind President Obama's strategy.

'Britain will continue to play its full part in persuading other countries to offer troops to the Afghanistan campaign.'

The Prime Minister said that the London conference on Afghanistan that he has called for January 28 would be a 'vital next stage'.

'It will offer an opportunity to agree a process to transfer provinces and districts to Afghan control; to make decisions on new civilian co-ordination in Afghanistan; and to support commitments by President Karzai on Afghan reforms to build up the Afghan army and police, and local governance; and to secure further support from international partners,' he said.

Chief of the Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup said he was 'delighted' with Mr Obama's announcement.

'It's what all of us who have been involved in the operation in Afghanistan have assessed is required if we are to resource a plan to deliver the strategy which we have been holding to for some time now,' he said.

He said the US was providing three-quarters of the 40,000 troops Gen McChrystal said were necessary. Britain had provided 1,200 more from the point at which the US general made his assessment.

'They didn't ask for more and we didn't say 'no',' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Sir Jock dismissed suggestions that British troops were set to take a reserve role behind American forces in Helmand.

'I do expect the command structure in the south to change for the simple reason that that's where the main fight is and, therefore, that's where Nato is concentrating its effort, quite rightly,' he said.

'But that means that the span of command within the regional command south area is now going to become too large and I think Gen McChrystal is going to have to divide it in some way to retain a sensible span of command.'

But he added: 'I expect the the British contribution to remain centred in Helmand for some time to come at the very least.'

This morning's announcement came more than three months after the White House received a report from the US's top commander in Afghanistan General Stanley McChrystal recommending about 40,000 extra soldiers were needed.

Mr Obama, in a speech to a military academy in West Point, New York state, indicated he had opted to go with fewer, but will deploy troops in a quicker time-frame that previously thought.

The accelerated schedule will see some additional troops in in place by Christmas, it has been suggested, with the rest deployed by next summer.

The new strategy consists of three core elements: a renewed military effort; a civilian surge to reinforce positive action, and an effective partnership with Pakistan, Mr Obama said.

He acknowledged the difficulty allied forces face in reversing the fortunes in the flagging conflict.

'Afghanistan is not lost, but for several years it has moved backwards,' he said, adding that the Taliban had gained momentum while the Afghanistan-Pakistan border remained a safe-haven for al Qaida.

That was why it was in America's 'vital national interest' to send additional troops to Afghanistan, the president added.

'These are the resources that we need to seize the initiative, while building the Afghan capacity that can allow for a responsible transition of our forces out of Afghanistan.'

This withdrawal will commence within 18 months, he pledged.

Mr Obama added that the US's military aim in the region remained the same: 'To disrupt, dismantle and defeat al Qaeda.'

To achieve this, the US will swell troop numbers in the region while also training an Afghan national army and police force, he added.

He said: 'The 30,000 additional troops that I am announcing tonight will deploy in the first part of 2010 - the fastest pace possible - so they can target the insurgency and secure key population centres.

They will increase our ability to train competent Afghan Security Forces and to partner with them so that more Afghans can get into the fight.

'And they will help create the conditions for the United States to transfer responsibility to the Afghans.'

He also pushed other members of the coalition to up their presence in a bid to end the conflict, uphold Nato's credibility and bring security to the wider international community.

The president said: 'Some have already provided additional troops, and we are confident that there will be further contributions in the days and weeks ahead. Our friends have fought and bled and died alongside us in Afghanistan. Now, we must come together to end this war successfully.

'For what's at stake is not simply a test of Nato's credibility - what's at stake is the security of our allies, and the common security of the world.'

Gen McChrystal, commander of Nato's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, said: 'The Afghanistan-Pakistan review led by the president has provided me with a clear military mission and the resources to accomplish our task.

'The clarity, commitment and resolve outlined in the president's address are critical steps toward bringing security to Afghanistan and eliminating terrorist safe havens that threaten regional and global security.'

Former Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell said: 'Barack Obama has staked his presidency on the roll of the military dice.

'This is his war now and his presidency will be defined by the outcome.

'Success will depend on the capacity of the (Afghan President Hamid) Karzai government to fulfil its obligations.

'Obama will be dependent on Karzai stepping up to the plate.'

There has been criticism of the time Mr Obama has taken to reach the decision he announced today.

But Louis Susman, the U.S. ambassador to London, said the president would make a decision of this importance unless his 'heart, his head and his gut' were in it.

'I think the three months was necessary to make a proper analysis of the right strategy to go in and end this war,' he said.

'The issue was never whether we make 1,000 troops or 30,000 troops - it doesn't make any difference if you don't have the right strategy.

'And I think he felt after 10 meetings and fully discussing this with all constituencies of our government that this was the right decision.'

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that many US senators had 'concerns' but predicted that Congress would be 'substantially united' behind the plans.

-------------

-------------------

RELATED POSTS:-

http://www.wikio.com
Labels: , , , , , , ,

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Today Top Recent Posts Here.


Blogger Widgets
Related Posts with Thumbnails

Entertainment News

 

Minibox 3 Column Blogger Template by James William at 2600 Degrees