UK's Afghanistan Commander, Brig Mark Carleton-Smith says that it is unrealistic to expect a "decisive military victory" in the country. He also hints that the Taleban should have a stake in the government.
Brig Mark Carleton-Smith, Britain's most senior commander in Afghanistan, told the
Sunday Times that expectations of a full victory in the country should be lowered.
He also said that Britain's aim is to bring the insurgency down to a level that is manageable by the Afghan army.
"We’re not going to win this war," he said. "It’s about reducing it to a manageable level of insurgency that’s not a strategic threat and can be managed by the Afghan army.”
Describing the conditions when international troops would withdraw, he expects there would still be "a low but steady ebb of rural insurgency."
Brig Carleton-Smith heads the 16 Air Assault Brigade which has just finished its second tour of duty. His brigade has suffered many casualties in Helmand, with 32 killed and 170 injured in the last six months.
He said that his brigade has "taken the sting out of the Taleban for 2008." But added that it might be necessary to engage them in negotiations.
"If the Taleban were prepared to sit on the other side of the table and talk about a political settlement, then that's precisely the sort of progress that concludes insurgencies like this," he told the
Sunday Times, and added people shouldn't be uncomfortable with it.
Such sentiment resonates with British military personnel and officials on the ground, even though it's seldom expressed.
According to a BBC correspondent, "many believe certain legitimate elements of the Taleban represent the positions of the Afghan people and so should be a part of the country's future."
UK Commander in Helmand: No Afghan Victory Expected
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