British troops ‘stretched’ in Afghanistan
The head of the British army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, has admitted that troops serving in Afghanistan are “stretched” but added that operations in the country were going well.
Speaking to the BBC, he said that morale among the troops was high and that soldiers felt “valued and supported”.
“With the training we’ve got, the equipment we’ve got, and determination, and leadership, we’re winning our tactical engagements,” he said.
He acknowledged that troops had suffered setbacks in terms of casualties but emphasised that progress in operations against the Taliban was still being made.
“Of course, tragically, we take casualties from time to time. I don’t want to get into a numbers count, but the Taliban have taken a lot more casualties than we have.”
The general said he had “pride and admiration” for troops serving in the strife-torn areas, adding that soldiers currently serving had seen battles “of a greater intensity than that which had gone on elsewhere in Afghanistan in recent years”.
He called for soldiers serving in the former Taliban stronghold of southern Afghanistan to receive special medals indicating that they had served in the area.
“My view is that there should be a clasp on the medal which says southern Afghanistan,” he told the BBC.
“We’ve already got a medal for Afghanistan, we don’t do two medals for the same campaign, but to recognise southern Afghanistan by a clasp on that medal is, I think, the way to do it.”
Captain David Hicks from 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment was killed in battle on Saturday after his patrol base in Sangin, Helmand province, came under attack in southern Afghanistan.
A total of 70 British troops have died in Afghanistan since operations to overthrow the Taliban began in November 2001.
