War on Taliban cannot be won, says Army chief.

The Times (London) ^ | 10-5-08 | Christina Lamb

[atomic conspiracy]

Britain's most senior military commander in Afghanistan has warned that the war against the Taliban cannot be won. Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith said the British public should not expect a “decisive military victory” but should be prepared for a possible deal with the Taliban. His assessment followed the leaking of a memo from a French diplomat who claimed that Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, the British ambassador in Kabul, had told him the current strategy was “doomed to fail”. Carleton-Smith, commander of 16 Air Assault Brigade, which has just completed its second tour of Afghanistan, said it was necessary to “lower our expectations”. He said: “We’re not going to win this war. It’s about reducing it to a manageable level of insurgency that’s not a strategic threat and can be managed by the Afghan army.” The brigadier added: “We may well leave with there still being a low but steady ebb of rural insurgency . . . I don’t think we should expect that when we go there won’t be roaming bands of armed men in this part of the world. That would be unrealistic and probably incredible.” Carleton-Smith insisted that his forces had “taken the sting out of the Taliban for 2008”. But his brigade has sustained heavy losses in the southern province of Helmand in the past six months, with 32 killed and 170 injured. In an interview with The Sunday Times, he added his voice to a growing number of people arguing that the conflict in Afghanistan could be resolved only through a political settlement that could include the Taliban. “We want to change the nature of the debate from one where disputes are settled through the barrel of the gun to one where it is done through negotiations,” Carleton-Smith said.

[atomic conspiracy]

With this defeatist in charge, it's no wonder the ragtag terrorist band controls half the province. He should should be sacked.

We have already offered the Taliban a deal: Lay down your arms, stop harboring terrorists and oppressing women, and we will stop killing you. They didn't take it.

[AmericaUnited]

Defeatist stooge needs to get demoted to private and pull a year of KP duty.

[screaminsunshine]

Sounds like areal Tiger.Sad stae of affairs in merry old England. Look what the beifits of socialism bring.

[Steel Wolf]

Unfortunately, things had to get very bad in Iraq before we got our act together. Afghanistan is well off the beaten path, and was allowed to simmer and flounder for too long.

The country isn't substantially different now than it was 7 years ago. Sure, there's more Afghan troops. There's also a vast majority of the country that's pretty much lawless, and vulnerable to Taliban or local bad influences.

The U.S. is starting to shift resources out of Iraq and over to Afghanistan, but it's a long road ahead there.

[Jack Hammer]

They can, however, lower the incidence of deadly violence well below the level that exists in London; that’s a victory of sorts.

[Glenn]

There's also a vast majority of the country that's pretty much lawless

Lawless to you. Preserving their culture to them. They fight hard to maintain the tribal structure that has served them for a thousand years.

I'm not apologizing for them. I just understand that they are completely different from the West.

[paudio]

One thing that I don’t understand why McCain camp never mentioned is that Afghanistan has been under NATO command, not US (although I think recently US took a greater responsibility again when NATO flunk — now we know why). NATO affairs falls to the Senate Sub-committee on Europe, which since 0bama become its chair they never met.

[doosee]

I question how we can “win” (meaning conquer) this useless pile of rocks and sand short of killing the vast majority of illiterate ignorant Muslims who barely scratch out a living there. My guess is we are the biggest industry there (until poppy harvest time) and the locals will never ever want us to leave. That is the dilemna, if you stay you cant win, and if you leave you lose.

[austrian]

unfortunately i think that he is correct. they have a long tradition in fighting “occupying” forces. and in times when there have been no occupyers they fought against each other. it looks like all they want is to fight someone all their “life” long no matter who it is. untill we kill all (not possible) this will never stop. sad but true.

[NoLibZone]

I hope we win the war with Mexico one day.

We still have many thousands of US killed annually by Mexican Nationals.

Should we give up?

[2harddrive]

Attitude is everything in war, and this guy doesn’t have it.

[texas booster]

It is a bad headline.

He is referring to eliminating all lawless bands of talliwackers from all parts of the country. Short of neutron weapons this is probably the case.

It is part of a commanders’ job to determine how to best get the job done with a minimum of disruption to our side and theirs. Sterilizing the plains of Afghanistan and Wurizistan, while desirable in many ways, isn't going to happen in our present political climate.

[LRS]

His assessment followed the leaking of a memo from a French diplomat ...

Well, there's your problem!

[Squantos]

I think Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith is playing a dangerous game of using public fear of failure against the tally-whackers to “hopefully” get more resources. That is a recipe for disaster. It can go either way and has a history of failing victory.

If that is not the case he is an insult to every person in uniform and should lead, follow or get out of the way. Paki’s harboring the taliban, at all levels of that new leadership, are IMO no less than enemy, to be treated as such if they get in the way.

This Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith sounds more polidiot than military officer. He’ll wind up as the hero or the goat in this game he plays with lives.

Just my opinion......

[Grimmy]

Yeah, that oh so lovely tribal culture. That culture that breeds banditry and inter-tribal warfare like a plague.

That same culture that enforces a mind numbing level of poverty, brutality and cycles of anarchy and totalitarian rule by ‘strong man’.

It’s a cultural disease pit. And it either ends with a good cleaning and update to something functionally modern or, eventually, that horror show will breed yet another batch of jihadiscum that will ensure their complete destruction.

[sinsofsolarempirefan]

It’s about reducing it to a manageable level of insurgency that’s not a strategic threat and can be managed by the Afghan army. That's what we want right? After it's been reduced to the level of mere banditary, it shouldn't be seen as our problem anymore....

[ryan71]

Monte and Churchill would be proud.

[NavVet]

Amazing. As someone that has spent some time in that neck of the woods, I find it amazing that anyone who claims to be a soldier, would actually see what's going on in Afghanistan as some sort of “dispute resolution” or grievance process where the participants just need to “use their words” instead of AK-47’s.

I've got news for him, what they want is every infidel dead, exactly how do you compromise with that you Limey Arse.

[M. Espinola]

If Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith had been in charge in 1940 the Nazis would have won.

[sinsofsolarempirefan]

He’s talking about reducing the insurgency to manageable levels. Frankly, it’s hard to see how it is wrong considering it would take nothing less than genocide to rid those areas of armed men with Islamist sympathies, or else the cleverest propaganda campaign ever devised...