There is a difference between a withdrawal and a retreat. Through no fault of its own, the British army was defeated in Basra and retreated.
British troops will withdraw from Sangin in October to be re-deployed to bolster Britain’s main presence in central Afghanistan. Any attempt to present this decision as politically motivated,
heralding the start of a British retreat from Afghanistan, should be rejected. British forces have not ‘lost’ in Sangin, or been deemed too ‘soft’ for the task. This is a
military decision, inaugurating the surge’s next phase.
The logic is flawless. Troops in Helmand have been spread to thin; the Americans and British are concentrating their forces under their own leadership. All British troops will now be under British field command; previously the Sangin detachment of 1,000 men was under American control. The 10,000 strong British force will now be exclusively deployed in the strategically vital central area around Lashkar Gah.
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