Head of British Army: "We should get out sometime soon"

[Frozzy]

The head of the British Army has said the presence of UK armed forces in Iraq "exacerbates the security problems".

In an interview in the Daily Mail, Sir Richard Dannatt, Chief of the General Staff, is quoted as saying the British should "get out some time soon".

He also said: "Let's face it, the military campaign we fought in 2003, effectively kicked the door in."

There are currently more than 7,000 British soldiers in Iraq, based largely in Basra in the south of the country.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said Britain had "a clear strategy" and worked with international partners "in support of the democratically elected government of Iraq, under a clear UN mandate."

BBC political editor Nick Robinson described Sir Richard's remarks as "quite extraordinary".

He said the new head of British army was "effectively saying we are making the situation worse in Iraq and worse for ourselves around the world by being in Iraq".

This is fairly significant, that the head of the British Armed Forces is advocating the removal of troops from Iraq. For me at least it seems to point to low morale in the Army as a whole unit, and I cannot see how the British Army could win a war against insurgents in the South by winning Iraqi hearts and minds if they cant even win their own.

End game for the occupation?

[Frozzy]

Oooh, and a link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6046332.stm

[Nubclear]

No. The United States will always be there, don't worry. We'll just send a couple thousand more troops to keep the seats warm until England decides to re-elect Blair

[GePap]

Obviously the Chief of Staff is an AQ plant, and the British people should demand he be beheaded as the traitor he is!

[chequita guevara]

A poll taken of American soldiers in January showed that 70% wanted the U.S. to leave withing six months.

[Jon Miller]

My sister's boyfreind (they have a house together) is in the national guard. She (And I think he) want us out also. He spent a tour in afganistan.. and doesn't want to go back to the region.

JM

[Frozzy]

What I do not understand is that when the army doesnt want to be in Iraq, the party members do not want them in Iraq, the people of the country do not want them in Iraq, why the hell are they there?

Part of me thinks there are only two people in the UK who actually want British troops in Iraq and that's John Reid and Tony Blair.

[Jon Miller]

Maybe there is an oath that the British prime minister takes on attaining office that says 'obey the US President"? It woudld be a secret thing, sort of like the Minister of Magic meeting with the Prime Minister in Harry Potter.

JM

[Frozzy]

It's the most logical explaination I've heard, I'll grant you that.

[techumseh]

When the general staff want peace, you know it's over. Right right, righties?

[Dinner]

I doubt having the foreigners leave will bring peace. In fact it will just remove the force which is currently stopping total civil war from occuring.

[Thedrin]

Originally posted by techumseh
When the general staff want peace, you know it's over. Right right, righties?

All this means is that Sir Dannatt thinks that the British army isn't doing work significant enough to warrant remaining. It does not mean that he thinks that peace will arrive with the occupiers departure.

[Cort Haus]

Originally posted by Jon Miller
Maybe there is an oath that the British prime minister takes on attaining office that says 'obey the US President"?

This is widely suspected.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Oerdin
I doubt having the foreigners leave will bring peace. In fact it will just remove the force which is currently stopping total civil war from occuring.

QFT.

You broke it, you fix it.

[CerberusIV]

Danatt's comments have to be taken alongside the history of the British Army over the last 60 years. That is largely a history of managing decolonisation - that is to say managing the situation until a reasonably acceptable political solution can be reached, at which point the troops leave. After that it will be someone else's problem.

The British Army was responsible for 4 provinces in Southern Iraq, 2 of which have been handed over to Iraqi forces. The real message he is sending is to his political masters saying that, once the Iraqi government forces can take over the remaining 2 provinces pull the British troops out rather than committing them elsewhere in Iraq.