David Cameron Comments on Afghanistan

By Tom Newton Dunn, Political Editor, The Sun

DAVID Cameron today reveals he is on a lightning mission to reform Britain – while his Coalition is still riding the crest of its popularity. The PM – in an exclusive interview with The Sun to mark a hundred days at No10 – declares he wants to sort out the country quicker than Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair did. He candidly admits the honeymoon period will end as tough decisions are made. But he vowed not to shy away from doing what is needed – and FAST.



He also told of the greatest burden for a modern British PM – “getting Afghanistan right”.

Mr Cameron told how the war against the Taliban – and the sacrifices of our brave troops – preyed on his mind.

He said: “Afghanistan is what keeps me up at night – making sure that we succeed.

“Obviously the most difficult and the biggest responsibility is the fact that we have troops in Afghanistan risking their lives on a daily basis.

“Tragically we have lost quite a number since I have become Prime Minister.

“All the time I am asking, ‘Are we doing the right thing, are we protecting our forces in the right way, have they got the right equipment, are we helping their families?’

“That is a really huge weight and a burden that you have got to discharge in the right way.” He admitted that being Prime Minister was a job he found “very daunting”.

But it was also “incredibly fulfilling and challenging”.

To read the full article click HERE

No change in Afghan strategy, Cameron says

The British strategy in Afghanistan won't change despite attacks on the British military by a renegade Afghan solider, the British prime minister said.


International forces are hunting for an Afghan soldier accused of killing three members of the British military at their patrol base near the capital of Helmand province Tuesday.

The attack follows a weekend Taliban threat against international forces in Afghanistan dubbed al-Fatah, or "victory." The British Ministry of Defense said the incident was a "suspected premeditated attack" and the Taliban claim the Afghan soldier is now among their ranks, London's Guardian newspaper reports.

The attack comes as NATO puts weighted emphasis on the need for a self-sufficient Afghan security force, which the British government said was vital to any plans to draw down their mission in Afghanistan.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said the attacks on his forces shouldn't prompt a hasty reaction in terms of policy revisions.

"We must continue to work with the Afghan army to create a stable Afghanistan able to maintain its own security and to prevent al-Qaida from returning," he said.

U.S. military officials last week said U.S. Marines were increasing their presence in the northern and southern parts of Helmand as British forces redeploy to the central part of the province by the end of 2010.

VIDEO: Afghanistan: PM Wants Troops Out By 2015

Sky News report

David Cameron has told Sky News that he wants British troops out of Afghanistan within five years.



He is in Canada for his first G8 summit, where he is meeting other world leaders including President Barack Obama to discuss issues such as the economic crisis, the BP oil spill and Afghanistan.

It has been a particularly bloody month for British troops in the war-hit country.

The deaths of four soldiers in a vehicle accident earlier in the week meant the total number of UK fatalities this month stands at 18, the worst since last August.

The most killed in a month came last July when 22 died when the Panther’s Claw operation was under way.

The total number of British dead in Afghanistan now stands at 307 since 2001.

Asked by Sky's political editor Adam Boulton whether the 10,000-strong deployment would be home by the next general election - scheduled for 2015 - the Prime Minister said: "I want that to happen.

"We cannot be there for another five years having effectively been there for nine years already.

"But Britain should have a long-term relationship with Afghanistan, including helping to train their troops and their civil society long after the vast bulk of (our) troops have gone."

Mr Obama has set out a timetable under which the "surge" of US troops ordered last year would lead to withdrawals from the middle of 2011.

But Mr Cameron has so far refused to commit himself to any deadline for British troops to come home, saying only that he does not believe they should stay a day longer than is necessary.

Discussing Mr Obama's preference for beginning a drawdown around July next year, Mr Cameron said: "I prefer not to see it in strict timetables.

"I want us to roll up our sleeves and get on with delivering what will bring the success we want."

He said this would not be "a perfect Afghanistan, but some stability in Afghanistan and the ability for the Afghans themselves to run their country so they can come home."

Military covenant to be enshrined in law

On a visit to HMS Ark Royal, Prime Minister David Cameron has pledged his support for the Armed Forces by announcing that the military covenant will be made law.


Prime Minister David Cameron addressing Service personnel on a visit to HMS Ark Royal

Mr Cameron explained that the covenant, the state's responsibility to its Armed Forces, will be rewritten and enshrined in law for the first time.

The covenant is an informal understanding of the state's duty of care to its Armed Forces. Until now, it has been regarded as an obligation rather than a firm rule set out in legislation.

Yesterday, Mr Cameron declared that the new Government will underline its commitment to the Armed Forces by putting it into law.

A new covenant - which will include rights to prioritised NHS treatment, decent housing and education for Service families' children - is to be given legal force in a new Armed Services Bill.

Addressing sailors, Marines and airmen aboard Ark Royal, Mr Cameron said:

"It's time for us to rewrite the military covenant to make sure we are doing everything we can.

"Whether it's the schools you send your children to, whether it's the healthcare that you expect, whether it's the fact that there should be a decent military ward for anyone who gets injured.

"I want all these things refreshed and renewed and written down in a new military covenant that's written into the law of the land."

Mr Cameron also praised the courage of British Service personnel and highlighted Britain's commitment to bringing stability to Afghanistan as he paid tribute to four British soldiers who were killed on operations.

He said:

"Our hearts go out to the comrades of those who have fallen, to their families and their loved ones.

"I remain absolutely committed to making sure we build up the Afghans' own capability and security so that they can take responsibility for their country and we can come home."

During his time on HMS Ark Royal, Mr Cameron praised Royal Navy personnel as dedicated, brave and professional in tackling piracy and drug smuggling and keeping sea lanes open.

Of them, he said:

"You are the noblest end of public service."

Mr Cameron toured the fleet flagship aircraft carrier in Halifax, Nova Scotia, ahead of a G20 summit in Canada.

Before Armed Forces Day tomorrow, he urged the whole country to 'reflect on the immeasurable sacrifice and dedication that our forces have shown in this conflict'.

He asked people to 'stand behind every one' of our Armed Forces over this weekend.

David Cameron meets Task Force Helmand’s unsung heroes

Some of the unsung heroes in Helmand got a major boost to their morale today when the Prime Minister David Cameron, on his first visit to Camp Bastion, addressed the troops and paid tribute to their work describing it as “critical to the success of operations in Afghanistan”.


After spending time with the Camp Bastion Fire and Rescue Service, the Prime Minister visited the British Forces Post Office (BFPO) where he met the soldiers whose job it is to receive, sort and ensure the mail is delivered right out to the frontline.

The soldiers of 884 Squadron of the Postal and Courier Regiment are fully aware of the importance of their role and how receiving letters and packages supports the high morale and spirit of troops in theatre.

The Prime Minister was escorted by the Officer Commanding 884 Squadron, Major Cameron Hill, who explained that Camp Bastion’s Post Office is the hub of all mail distribution to British Forces in Afghanistan. His men process over 3,000 bags per week which converts to approximately 30 tons in weight.

When a delivery arrives the soldiers will work as long as it takes, sometimes 10 hours or more to get the bags sorted.

Major Hill said of their work “Our aim is simply to process the mail very quickly and get it to the Forward Operating and Patrol Bases as soon as we can”. He went on to describe how “everyone in my team knows the value, in terms of morale, of receiving mail and that’s the reward we get from our job”.

Major Hill was able to show how the BFPO is doing everything it can to speed up communication between soldiers and their families and how the growth in popularity of the E-bluey and Fax-bluey is beginning to constitute a bigger share of the overall mail traffic.

For example, a letter from the UK can take four or five days to reach a soldier in a FOB but using an ‘E-bluey’ it might only take hours. Bastion’s Post Office is now processing around 9,500 per month.

Although Mr Cameron decided against sending a message home explaining that he was anxious not to unnecessarily increase the service’s volume of mail he did confess he didn’t know his new postcode.


The Prime Minister met and chatted to members of the Squadron of which 25 are from the Territorial Army and many of them work for Royal Mail. He was very interested to hear how supportive their civilian employers had been in allowing their staff to serve on operations.

Mr Cameron got a sympathetic response when he described how, as an election candidate delivering leaflets, he dreaded the doors with the letter boxes low down which always seemed to “have a brush on the inside and the little bit which snaps your fingers just when you shove – that’s the classic - then if you get the angry dog too that’s the Full Monty”.

Among the soldiers Mr Cameron met was Corporal Pacha Bhaiya, a Gurhka who has served for almost thirty years in the British Army. During the conversation Mr Cameron pointed out that no British Prime Minister had ever visited Nepal, adding that he hoped he might be the first sometime in the future.

Squadron members were delighted to have met the new Prime Minister and appreciated the fact that he had taken the time out to come and meet them. It was a fantastic boost to their morale to be recognised. One soldier added that recently they’ve had visits from three Davids – Bailey, Beckham and Cameron but concluded – “It was great to meet the boss’s boss!”


Pictures: Sgt Ian Forsyth RLC

Afghanistan: beginning of the end

David Cameron will today set out a hard-headed new approach to Afghanistan that will raise hopes that British troop numbers in the country will be reduced in little more than a year.

By James Kirkup and Thomas Harding, Daily Telegraph

The Prime Minister will tell MPs that the Government was trying to accelerate the process that will allow forces to start coming home.


Government insiders said Mr Cameron was keen to start winding down a war he inherited from Labour.

His Commons statement today comes after ministers removed Britain’s most senior military commander from his post amid frustrations at the way the war was being conducted. The early departure of Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, the Chief of the Defence Staff, allows Mr Cameron to choose a new chief to oversee his strategy.

Sir Jock’s early retirement later this year was announced yesterday by Dr Liam Fox, the Defence Secretary, who said it would allow ministers to put the “appropriate” commander into the top military post.

Sir Bill Jeffrey, the senior civil servant at the Ministry of Defence, will also step down.

Ministers are risking a row with Whitehall chiefs by considering replacing him with Bernard Gray, a procurement expert from outside the civil service. Jeremy Haywood, a senior Downing Street official, is also a contender.

The candidates to replace Sir Jock are Gen Sir David Richards, the head of the Army, and Gen Sir Nick Houghton, Sir Jock’s deputy. The successor will have a two-year term to oversee a shift in the approach to Afghanistan.

The new “national security-driven” approach includes:

* Increased Government efforts to persuade voters that the Afghan mission is succeeding and showing that Afghan government forces can secure the country.

* Lowering the criteria for success from a fully stable country to “some stability”.

* A clear commitment to a US-led review of the Afghan war that assumes troop withdrawals from next July.

Underlining the changing mood, Dr Fox said yesterday that ministers “don’t want to be in Afghanistan for a day longer than necessary”.

Rhetoric over Afghanistan has changed in recent days. Sir David last week said Britain was engaged in a “war”. Mr Cameron followed that up by referring to “a war of necessity, not a war of choice”. The previous government had referred to it as a conflict.

Mr Cameron will today tell MPs that he will not set an “artificial timetable” for troops to return from Afghanistan.

But he will make clear that Britain is fully committed to an American-led process that will reassess the Afghan mission later this year and start a reduction in troop numbers from July 2011.

Britain has 10,000 troops in Afghanistan. A total of 295 British soldiers have died there since they entered in 2001.

Ministers are braced for fresh public unease over the Afghan mission when the British death toll passes 300 in the coming weeks.

That grim milestone may put new pressure on the coalition, since the Liberal Democrats have been strong critics of the mission.

Mr Cameron has admitted that public support for the conflict will drain away if there is not “real progress” within the next 12 months.

To help prepare the ground for any eventual withdrawal, Mr Cameron has ordered new information to be supplied to voters about the progress being made in Afghanistan.

Regular statements to Parliament and other public announcements about conditions will be used to promote the idea that the mission is succeeding, creating the conditions for troop reductions.

President Barack Obama has ordered a “surge” in US troop numbers this year. But he assured American voters he would start bringing soldiers home next year.

He has told Gen Stanley McChrystal, the US commander in Afghanistan, to work to a timetable of reducing troop numbers as early as 2011. Nato allies including Canada are also committed to withdrawal in 2011. Mr Cameron will today insist that all Afghan decisions will be based on national security.

He will also make clear that the coalition is looking to reduce troop levels in line with the Americans.

A senior Government source said: “Over the next 12 months, we have to show people the progress we are making and then start looking at how many people we have [in Afghanistan] and the jobs they are doing.”

British military chiefs have suggested that some UK forces will be required in Afghanistan for at least five years.

But overall British numbers could fall sharply. The role of the remaining forces could also change, from front-line combat operations to mentoring and supporting Afghan security forces.

Sir Richard Dannatt, the former Army chief now advising the Tories, yesterday spoke of an “exit strategy”. He said: “The future of the country must be in Afghan hands.”

Mr Cameron last week visited Afghanistan as part of his review of the British mission.

He has also consulted critics of the existing strategy, including Lord Ashdown, the former Lib Dem leader.

Winding down the mission could also relieve the pressure on the defence budget. Dr Fox said the number of Britain’s front-line military personnel could be cut as ministers try to reduce the deficit.

VIDEO: Prime Minister Addressing British Troops at Camp Bastion

The Prime Minister has paid tribute to the “brave and professional” British troops serving in Afghanistan.

During a visit to Camp Bastion, in Helmand Province, David Cameron said they should be proud of themselves and that Britain was very proud of them.

He announced that the operational allowance for troops on overseas operations will be doubled and the increase will be backdated to 6 May, the date of the General Election.

The PM said:

“What you are doing here will never be forgotten, it is great and important work. You are incredibly brave and professional in what you do.

“I stand here as your Prime Minister, wanting to tell you from the bottom of my heart that you should be proud of yourselves and what you do because your country is incredibly proud of you.”

Mr Cameron also read out a message of support from the England football coach Fabio Capello and the England team.

The Prime Minister addressed troops this morning after spending the night staying at the base.



He flew into the country last week for talks in Kabul with President Hamid Karzai, where he announced extra resources to counter roadside bombs.

Mr Cameron then travelled to Helmand, where he met British forces and visited an agricultural school with Helmand Governor Gulab Mangal.

Cameron to meet Afghan president

Prime Minister David Cameron will reaffirm the British Government's commitment to building a stable and secure future for Afghanistan as he meets the country's president at Chequers.

Downing Street said Hamid Karzai's stopover in the UK on his way back from Washington is "an opportunity for early discussions" following on from previous meetings when Mr Cameron was leader of the opposition.

Afghanistan was top of the agenda on Friday when Foreign Secretary William Hague met US secretary of state Hillary Clinton in Washington.

Mr Hague said Mr Cameron is making Afghanistan "our top priority in foreign affairs", adding: "We will give the Nato strategy and the agreements made at the London Conference the time and support to succeed."

Mrs Clinton said Mr Hague had reaffirmed the UK's commitment to working with the international community and the Afghan people to achieve long-term stability in Afghanistan.

She said: "The US is deeply appreciative of the British contribution in Afghanistan and we honour the sacrifices of the British service members who serve their country with such distinction overseas."

The UK and US are "firmly committed" to the Nato mission and support the efforts of Mr Karzai to fight corruption and build a stable and strong government, she said.

Mr Cameron will use Saturday's meeting to prepare the ground for the Kabul Conference on July 20, which will assess the progress made since the London Conference in January, which agreed international support to train and expand the Afghan army and security forces with the aim of starting the handover of the country to local authorities by the end of this year.

The London Conference also set Mr Karzai tough goals to tackle corruption within the country's administration.

I will not cut and run... we must stay, get it right and win the war - The Sun

Picture:Stefan Rousseau/PA

By Tom Newton Dunn

DAVID Cameron insisted last night he DOES have the mettle to be a wartime PM - and vowed to Sun readers he would NEVER cut and run from Afghanistan.

In an exclusive interview from the front line, the Tory leader spoke of his deep respect for our armed forces.

And he said they should stay until the Taliban are beaten.

He shot down wobblers who want to pull out of the conflict - as he urged the nation to repay its hero troops by showing the same steely resolve they do.

He declared: "I'm not interested in cutting and running, or setting artificial timetables for departure. I'm interested in helping the troops succeed, so they can home with their heads held high."

Brave

Mr Cameron insisted "It IS possible to defeat the Taliban. We have had great success in taking out Taliban leaders and British forces have proved how brave and competent they are at doing that.

"We have a great opportunity to have a last go at getting this right. We must stay and do that."

He stopped short of directly criticising US President Barack Obama for setting a date for an American pull-out to begin - July 2011.

But he insisted: "Although nobody wants to be in Afghanistan for a minute longer than we ought to be, a withdrawal must only be after we are successful."

And in a veiled attack on Gordon Brown for setting a controversial deadline for "progress", he added: "I hope it will be possible to hand some districts over to Afghan control. But we must be cautious about naming dates.

"We must not raise false hopes for our troops and their families, or send out false messages to those who mean us harm."

Mr Cameron spoke to the forces favourite newspaper as he toured an outpost that has seen some of the the most bitter fighting of the war recently, alongside shadow defence secretary Liam Fox.

A grim total of 24 soldiers based at Forward Operating Base Shawqat in the hot-spot of Nad-e-Ali have been killed in the last nine months.

Five of them - including Regimental Sergeant Major Darren Chant of the Grenadier Guards - died last month when a crazed Afghan cop opened fire. Grenadiers in the area still fight the Taliban daily.

Back at the field hospital at logistics base Camp Bastion, the Tory chief met wounded troops.

Mr Cameron described how he knew he was ready to take the ultimate decision and send young men and women to war.

He revealed: "Before I stood for leader of the Conservative Party, I asked myself, could I take those very tough decisions? The hardest of all is sending forces to war.

"I talked it through with my wife Sam as well. I was prepared then, and I am prepared now. I would never do it lightly and I would always make sure it was in Britain's best interests."

He went on: "Our military is an incredibly important national asset. We should not abuse them, or overstretch them. But we should not be afraid of using them when it's in the country's interest to do so."

In an impromptu speech to 100 officers and soldiers in Task Force Helmand's HQ at Lashkar Gah, he said: "I want to say a really heartfelt thank you to you on behalf of the British people for your incredible bravery and heroism out here.

"You really have made all of us so proud to be British."

Respect

Lance Bombardier Lachlan Quinn, 25, quizzed Mr Cameron on his forces policies. He said: "He's got good ideas and seems a nice guy. It's good of him to come out - but now we want him to deliver."

Mr Cameron revealed he once contemplated a career in the military.

And he recalled how as a 16-year-old with the cadet force at Eton College he had his first encounter with soldiers, which left a big impression on him. He said: "I met some Welsh Guards while on an exercise on Salisbury Plain. They had just come back from the Falklands and had been through a lot. They were very tough guys - it was a wake-up call."

Unlike some politicians, he finds it easy to relate to soldiers. He said: "The more you talk to them, the more you understand their hopes and fears."

Mr Cameron said today's generation of British warriors is every bit as good as its famous forefathers.

He said: "I've always had huge respect for the military.

"Partly out of a love and fascination for British history. But also because we have a military we can be very proud of, going all the way back to Agincourt.

"They are such a source of national pride - and none more so than this generation today.

"The intensity of what we are asking young people to do is quite incredible. They have seen the fiercest fire fights the British Army has had in 50 years. And some of them were just 18 years old.

"They are every bit like my grandfather's generation, who got out of the landing craft in Normandy, or in Burma, or in Korea in the 1950s.

"The guys in Helmand today are their equal in every way."

Click here for the Sun

Cameron visits British troops in southern Afghanistan - BBC

David Cameron has visited British troops serving in southern Afghanistan.

The Tory leader travelled to Helmand Province, the epicentre of the battle against the Taliban, where nearly 100 UK personnel have died this year.

Mr Cameron said he wanted to help the mission in whatever way he could, stressing that "the faster we succeed, the faster we can come home".

Gordon Brown recently said an extra 500 troops would be sent in January, taking total numbers to more than 10,000.

Casualties

The majority of those are concentrated in Helmand, where UK forces have been fighting fierce battles against the Taliban.

Over the past year, 99 British troops have died there.

The US has agreed to send a further 30,000 troops to the region in an attempt to bring more stability and to speed up the training of the Afghan army - efforts in which British troops are playing a lead role.

Mr Cameron visited the district of Nad-e-Ali, where five British soldiers died last month after being shot by an Afghan policeman they were training.

The tragedy led to calls from some MPs for a phased withdrawal of British troops while many more, including Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg, said the current strategy in Helmand had to be urgently reviewed.

Mr Cameron told the troops at their base in Lashkar Gah that he was "not interest in cutting and running" from Afghanistan.

"I am not interested in trying to set out some sort of timetable and convince people in that way. What I am interested in doing is helping you, whether in opposition or in government, to succeed in what we are doing here and then to come home.

"The faster we succeed, the faster we can come home."

Security challenge

During a visit to a local bazaar, Mr Cameron said it was "a glimpse of what can be possible if we get it right".

"I think following President Obama's speech and the increase in US forces and the increase in British forces, we have a chance now. It is probably our last chance to get it right but we do have a chance.

"This is a glimpse of what it could be like if we guarantee better security, if we then train up the Afghan national army and train up the Afghan police so they can take responsibility for their security."

The BBC's Political Editor Nick Robinson, who is travelling with Mr Cameron, said British troops told the opposition leader that they wanted the public's backing not their sympathy.

Prime minister Gordon Brown, who last visited Helmand in August, has said the mission is vital to preventing terrorist attacks in the UK while stressing that troops will not be there indefinitely.

No 10 insisted the latest deployment was contingent on the troops being properly equipped, other Nato allies pulling their weight and the Afghan government being willing to send more troops to the region - conditions it says have been met.

Nato's top official has said its members will send at least 7,000 extra troops to support the US-led surge.