General Sir David Richards: Taliban thought we were on run, but the tables have turned

By Con Coughlin Published: 9:00PM GMT twenty-six February 2010

Comments 10 |

Previous of Images Next Soldiers of "A" Company, 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh Regiment, on unit in Showal, Helmand, on the third day after they released (with alternative ISAF and Afghan Army forces) the locale from Taliban carry out Photo: JULIAN SIMMONDS General Sir David Richards Photo: CON COUGHLIN

It is usually a couple of days since the mud-walled installation situated in the heart of Helmand"s sensuous stream hollow was prisoner from the Taliban, but the internal Afghan genealogical leaders are already bustling creation plans for the future.

For years the farmers who lend towards the orderly organised rows of crops along the stream banks have been forced to continue the Taliban"s rough rule. Few dared plea the Taliban system of administration after a organisation of Afghans who had objected to the Taliban"s despotic doing of Islamic law were hanged from a tree. After that the villagers knew improved than to confront their Taliban overlords.

Allies at Afghan "turning point" Army says it needs 20,000 some-more soldiers Troops confronting predicament of morale, warns armed forces head Afghanistan: Operation Moshtarak "well on track" Teenage infantryman died safeguarding co-worker Gen Sir Richard Dannatt: "big push" value the scapegoat

But right away the Taliban have been driven from their obsolete citadel, and the genealogical chiefs have swarming in to the dry devalue to appreciate the British infantry who had masterminded their liberation.

"The British are the friends. They have since us the lives back," explains one farmer. "We right away have the possibility to have a improved hold up for ourselves."

I trafficked to southern Afghanistan this week with General Sir David Richards, the head of the British Army, who was penetrating to see the gains done by British forces in Operation Mostarak, the infantry descent launched this month to expostulate the Taliban from their last superfluous strongholds in southern Afghanistan.

As piece of the new counter-insurgency descent being masterminded by General Stanley A McChrystal, the head of Nato forces in Afghanistan, British commanders worked closely with their Afghan counterparts in the formulation and execution of the descent to expostulate the Taliban from the strategically vicious district of Nad-e Ali. Hence the operation"s name, Mostarak, that equates to "togetherness".

One of the key priorities of the McChrystal plan "Stan"s plan", as it is well known is for Nato forces to equivocate municipal casualties, that are deemed not surprisingly to be deeply counter-productive to the coalition"s attempts to win the dispute for the hearts and minds of the Afghans.

The British operation to constraint Nad-e Ali that was privately authorized by Afghan President Hamid Karzai was recognised to take the locale by keeping municipal and infantry casualties to a minimum. To this finish commanders done in outcome have make use of of of infantry helicopters that the Government has eventually deployed in sufficient numbers to land a total force of British and Afghan infantry at the back of the Taliban lines, thereby avoiding the rows of IEDs (improvised explosve devices) that the Taliban had laid identical to a required cave field.

Taken by surprise, majority of the Taliban had fled opposite the limit to Pakistan, or to alternative Taliban strongholds serve south. A couple of fighters were captured, together with a explosve builder who was found to have the top available volume of explosve element on his body. "It"s identical to he"d been rolling around in the stuff," commented a immature Welsh Guards" officer.

After minute briefings with comparison officers, Gen Richards appeared upbeat about the operation"s achievements, that he regards as the template for destiny Nato offensives. "This is the initial storm in the plan for the subsequent 12-18 months, and we have each certainty that we can prevail," pronounced Gen Richards. "This year could be the branch point. What we need to do is to convince the Taliban that they can be beaten, not usually in Helmand, but in Pakistan as well."

As General Richards spoke, there was the calming steer of dual British Apache gun-ships hovering menacingly overhead, ready to meddle at the smallest pointer of mutinous activity.

A neat, trim man alive with with unrestrained and intelligence, Gen Richards, 58, who transposed General Sir Richard Dannatt as Army arch last September, has a repute as a soldier"s soldier. A former commander in chief of Nato forces in Afghanistan, he has an roughly companion fervour about the significance of Britain"s infantry involvement.

"I do not think we can means to destroy in Afghanistan since of the distilled outcome disaster will have on those militants who dispute democracy and the freedoms," he explained. "It would emanate the perspective that we are not rebuilt to quarrel for that that we hold precious."

Gen Richards has been at the forefront of the Whitehall dispute to convince the Government to have some-more infantry and apparatus available, and he believes the additional resources are creation a tangible disproportion to the campaign"s success. "In the past we have been holding the own in really formidable circumstances," he said. "Now, for the initial time, we have the resources we have been looking for years. As a effect the Taliban is right away commencement to realize that they can lose this war, that was not the perspective they hold a year ago."

Gen Richards"s undoubted care qualities have done him the front-runner to reinstate Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup as altogether head of Britain"s Armed Forces: Sir Jock is at large approaching to mount down after the ubiquitous election. But for the impulse Gen Richards"s first concentration is the Afghan campaign, that is reaching a vicious juncture.

Judging from what I saw in Nad-e Ali this week, there are enlivening signs that the British infantry bid is starting to reap a little dividends. In discussions with comparison American and British officers, they were straightforward about the mistakes that had formerly been made. British forces had taken on as well most in Helmand with as well couple of troops, whilst there is right away a deepening approval via the complete Nato mission that not sufficient bid has been done to learn the concerns of Afghans. "There was as well most significance on anticipating out who the bad guys were and murdering them," certified one comparison US officer."

But all that is changing, with some-more significance being trustworthy to the needs of typical Afghans. "The Afghan people will in conclusion confirm the predestine of this country, not Nato. If we get the right Afghans in the right place we will win this thing," he said.

The new routine of rendezvous with the Afghans seems to be transforming the landscape in Helmand. In Nad-e Ali there have been instances of villagers display the British where the Taliban have planted IEDs, whilst a little tribesmen have distinguished the removal of the Taliban by shred off their beards, that were requisite underneath Taliban rule.

There have additionally been multiform instances of Taliban fighters laying down weapons and charity to come in the Afghan government"s settlement process. In Nad-e Ali British commanders concluded to a ask from a family for the lapse of their son, a former Taliban warrior who had been captured, who done a open vouch to forgo the Taliban at a assembly of the internal Shura council.

But these are early days, and Gen Richards is well wakeful of the most difficulties that distortion ahead, not slightest persuading the Afghans that British forces will stay the course. "We have to convince the Afghan people that we are going to stay," he pronounced after assembly genealogical leaders. "We have to denote that we have the finalise to see it through."

Winning the infantry battle, though, is usually one piece of the measureless plea the Nato mission faces, a actuality Gen Richards straightforwardly accepts. While he hopes that the gait of infantry operations will progressively diminish, he still envisages British forces superfluous in a await purpose to the Afghan supervision for most years to come. "We will sojourn militarily intent in a precision and await purpose for at slightest an additional five years."

The incident in Nad-e Ali is a box in point. The race authorised the Taliban to take carry out since they were confounded by the crime of internal officials. Now the Taliban has been forcibly removed, genealogical elders are endangered that they will once again be subjected to the assail change of hurtful officials, a point they emphasised during their assembly with Gen Richards.

There is additionally a warning between Afghans about Nato"s commitment. After the Sep eleven attacks they upheld the West"s debate to overpower the Taliban, but were afterwards deserted when Western seductiveness waned, permitting the Taliban to return. There are distinct concerns that they competence humour a identical fate, quite as US President Barack Obama has voiced his goal to embark the withdrawal of US infantry that have up the bulk of Nato forces in the summer of 2011.

But Gen Richards believes that infantry success on the belligerent will prop the politicians" finalise to stay the course. "The vigour on Western governments to repel the forces is a approval that we are not removing it right," he admitted. "But if we can get it right afterwards the vigour to repel will lessen rapidly. We need to show transparent swell that the politicians can have make use of of to clear the conflict."

And he stays confident that the Taliban-led rebellion can be degraded in the subsequent year. "A year ago they thought they had us on the run. But right away the tables have been turned. They are underneath relentless pressure, and they are right away carrying a little critical thoughts about stability the fight. What we have to do right away is to strengthen the perspective that they can, and that they will, be beaten."