Britain’s mission in Afghanistan will change, perhaps radically, in the coming months. That’s pretty clear from the smoke signals emerging from NATO and the new Cameron government.
Britain’s mission in Afghanistan will change, perhaps radically, in the coming months.
That’s pretty clear from the smoke signals emerging from NATO and the new Cameron government.
A few months ago, US officials here began explaining that RC South, where Helmand and British forces lie, would be split in two, to ease their administration and the command of the heavy lifting there.
It fuelled rumours that essentially, the US Marines, who’ve arrived in bulk in Helmand in the past year, wanted full control of the province, perhaps without British help.
This new command system puts a United States Marine General in charge of Helmand and perhaps increases the chances of the British going elsewhere.
When we interviewed the Commander of Nato here, Stanley McChrystal, on this topic, he was clear that he had been in discussions about moving British forces elsewhere in the country, but refused to say what they entailed.
Perhaps he was waiting for the elections to decide who was going to be PM.
Where could they go? Kandahar – where a huge offensive is imminent – is one option. Uruzgun, from where Dutch forces will soon withdraw – is another.
But what is clear is that the Cameron administration lacks the need to doggedly persist in the face of adversity here that seemed to set the Brown government’s course unswervingly.
They can change their goal, and even think about reducing the costly presence here.
Britain’s been doing the heavy lifting – after the Americans – for a long time here. That might change too.