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By Our Special Correspondent
Monday, 03 Aug, 2009 | 05:34 AM PST
LONDON: A House of Commons report published on Sunday concluded that the UK faced more threat from inside Pakistan than from Afghanistans Helmand province where, the report asserted, British soldiers were sent on an ill-defined mission undermined by unrealistic planning and lack of manpower.
The Labour-chaired Commons foreign affairs select committee report raises the alarming spectre of Al Qaeda, which has shifted its focus into Pakistan.
Professor Shaun Gregory, an expert on Pakistan at Bradford University, told the committee that a direct attack on Pakistans nuclear weapons infrastructure could not be ruled out.
According to the Observer, MPs concluded that there was now a strong argument to be made that the Afghan insurgency was no longer an immediate threat to Britain, adding: That threat in the form of Al Qaeda and international terrorism can be said more properly to emanate from Pakistan.
The report concluded that, while the military campaign in Helmand might be gaining traction, Afghan support for the troops had been damaged by civilian casualties and cultural insensitivity, and there was no evidence the war on drugs had reduced poppy cultivation.
A weak, corrupt police force was driving Afghans back to the Taliban to seek justice, it argued, while cultural assumptions about women were barely changed.
The Observer said Whitehall was braced for the publication this month of a review of the Afghanistan campaign by General Stanley McChrystal, commander of US forces there, which was expected to trigger a fresh debate over troop numbers. Some MPs believed parliament might even be recalled from recess to debate Afghanistan.
The Foreign Office admitted on Saturday night that the insurgent threat in Helmand was greater than anticipated, but said the aim of denying Al Qaeda a safe haven remained unchanged.
The committee suggested that Whitehall was distracted by Iraq during its planning, made wrong assumptions about Afghan expectations and gave unclear direction to the armed forces. It noted that most analysts believe the initial UK strategy failed primarily because of a lack of manpower and a poor understanding of the local situation.
Meanwhile, a memo from Major Brian Dupree leaked to the newspaper showed that Britains war effort in Afghanistan was being hindered by a number of frontline troops too fat to fight.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed that it had directed military chiefs to ensure units were following army fitness policy after concerns were raised over a worrying trend of obesity.
Monday, 03 Aug, 2009 | 05:34 AM PST
LONDON: A House of Commons report published on Sunday concluded that the UK faced more threat from inside Pakistan than from Afghanistans Helmand province where, the report asserted, British soldiers were sent on an ill-defined mission undermined by unrealistic planning and lack of manpower.
The Labour-chaired Commons foreign affairs select committee report raises the alarming spectre of Al Qaeda, which has shifted its focus into Pakistan.
Professor Shaun Gregory, an expert on Pakistan at Bradford University, told the committee that a direct attack on Pakistans nuclear weapons infrastructure could not be ruled out.
According to the Observer, MPs concluded that there was now a strong argument to be made that the Afghan insurgency was no longer an immediate threat to Britain, adding: That threat in the form of Al Qaeda and international terrorism can be said more properly to emanate from Pakistan.
The report concluded that, while the military campaign in Helmand might be gaining traction, Afghan support for the troops had been damaged by civilian casualties and cultural insensitivity, and there was no evidence the war on drugs had reduced poppy cultivation.
A weak, corrupt police force was driving Afghans back to the Taliban to seek justice, it argued, while cultural assumptions about women were barely changed.
The Observer said Whitehall was braced for the publication this month of a review of the Afghanistan campaign by General Stanley McChrystal, commander of US forces there, which was expected to trigger a fresh debate over troop numbers. Some MPs believed parliament might even be recalled from recess to debate Afghanistan.
The Foreign Office admitted on Saturday night that the insurgent threat in Helmand was greater than anticipated, but said the aim of denying Al Qaeda a safe haven remained unchanged.
The committee suggested that Whitehall was distracted by Iraq during its planning, made wrong assumptions about Afghan expectations and gave unclear direction to the armed forces. It noted that most analysts believe the initial UK strategy failed primarily because of a lack of manpower and a poor understanding of the local situation.
Meanwhile, a memo from Major Brian Dupree leaked to the newspaper showed that Britains war effort in Afghanistan was being hindered by a number of frontline troops too fat to fight.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed that it had directed military chiefs to ensure units were following army fitness policy after concerns were raised over a worrying trend of obesity.
