Concentration not capitulation

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.

Most popular

Ross Clark

Labour is out of its depth with electric cars

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.