William Hague told the Foreign Affairs Select
Committee that British combat troops will leave Afghanistan in 2015 – even if parts of the country remain violent.
Speaking to a number of senior military officers and civilians who have recently returned from Kabul and Helmand, I have come away with the clear sense – whisper it – that the tactical tide is in fact turning against the Taliban insurgency but that a number of facts will complicate further progress.
First, the next few months in Helmand may unfortunately be quite bloody. The drop in British casualties over the summer has made the story disappear from the newspaper headlines but most military commanders I have spoken to, up and down the chain, worry that there is a more bloodshed to come in the next six months.
Second, while progress has taken place in Helmand – from an ill-prepared, poorly-led and under-resourced campaign – it will be difficult to sustain the progress achieved into the long-term and to make similar progress elsewhere in the country.
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