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From The Times

July 24, 2009

Ex-SAS commander accuses the Government of lying over Afghanistan

Deborah Haynes, Defence Correspondent

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(Ministry of Defence/Crown/PA)

Christopher King, 20, the 19th British serviceman to be killed in Afghanistan this month

A former SAS commander accused the Government yesterday of lying to the public over Afghanistan, saying that British forces lack the support they need.

Retired Brigadier Aldwin Wight added his voice to the growing debate on whether the Government has committed enough helicopters and troops to the Afghan mission. Guardsman Christopher King, of 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, was named yesterday as the 19th soldier to be killed this month in Afghanistan.

“Here is a government that has committed the British Army and the Armed Forces to two of the most serious recent campaigns, very long-term types of campaigns,” Mr Wight told ITV News, referring to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“If you do commit people to that then they’ve got to be supported. I think the perception, the reality, is that it hasn’t been supported.”

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Asked whether he was referring to moral support, financial support or kit, Wight said: “All of the above.”

Turning to the Government, the former special forces commander said: “I just don’t think they’re being honest. I don’t think they’re being honest with themselves, with the Armed Forces or with the public.”

The discussion on additional troops and the numbers of helicopters should be exposed, he said.

“I talked to a lot of people who were in the Armed Forces, who are currently in the Armed Forces, who have been responsible for operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. I would have said that virtually all of those would argue that they need more. . . The Government sees its job as actually to spin this issue rather than be honest about it. Even the man in the street can smell that, and therefore I don’t think that you have got the support.”

Bob Ainsworth, the Defence Secretary, insisted yesterday that he was “busting a gut” to get more helicopters to commanders on the ground in Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan. However he emphasised that the hot, dusty Afghan environment meant aircraft need frequent repairs.

“They break and they’re breaking all the time. Some are fixed in theatre and some come back here,” he said. “It’s not a family car you can take in for a service once a year, it’s a bit more like a Formula One racing car that’s only racing a few days of the year.”

Mr Wight said that giving commanders sufficient helicopters would give them the tactical flexibility they require, allowing them to take the initiative against the Taleban.

“You’re restricting their options by not giving them enough helicopters and at the same time you’re probably increasing the amount of vehicles they have to use because they lack tactical flexibility. So it’s difficult to make a direct mathematical correlation, but I think there is a direct correlation.”

Some 3,000 British forces are taking part in a major operation against the Taleban in the south of Afghanistan — an offensive that has helped to restore Britain’s reputation as a strong ally to the United States, a senior defence source said yesterday.

Britain’s reputation suffered a blow in Iraq when the southern city of Basra fell into the hands of militias under the watch of British forces.

“Reputation-wise what we have achieved and done in Panchai Palang has really resonated with the Americans,” the defence source said. “It reassures the Americans in some ways that other allies are doing some heavy lifting.”

Operation Panchai Palang, or Panther’s Claw, is aimed at reclaiming swaths of territory from Taleban fighters. Twelve British soldiers have died on the offensive, which began a month ago, but a “significant number” of Taleban leaders have also been killed, the defence source added.

Guardsman King, 20, became the latest British casualty on Wednesday when a bomb exploded as he was checking a patch of land on foot to secure a path for vehicles to travel down.