NATO Secretary General: Failure In Afghanistan Is Not An Option
Jul 21, 2009 Comments Off Erik Wong
Nato cannot afford to walk away from Afghanistan however dangerous or expensive the campaign becomes, the alliance’s Secretary General has warned.
Jaap De Hoop Scheffer, who stands down next week after five years at the helm of Nato, said failure in Afghanistan would give a “free run” for al Qaida’s global terrorist ambitions.
Mr De Hoop Scheffer, in a speech to the Chatham House foreign affairs think tank, acknowledged that it had been a “tragic period” for the UK and he paid tribute to the “critical job” that British forces were doing in the country.
He emphasised however that they were part of an international team fighting the Taliban in southern Afghanistan and that other countries had also suffered losses in the course of the campaign.
“If one reads any national press, you could be forgiven for thinking that your forces were fighting in Afghanistan alone. But they are not. They are part of a team,” he said.
“Fourteen nations are fighting in the south of Afghanistan, alongside their British colleagues, along with Afghan forces. Hundreds of Nato soldiers from other countries have also lost their lives – which is a sad, but real, measure of shared sacrifice.”
Mr De Hoop Scheffer said it was right there was a public debate over whether there were enough troops or helicopters in Afghanistan.
However, he said that there should be no question over “the necessity or the legitimacy” of the international mission in Afghanistan.
“If we were to walk away, Afghanistan would fall to the Taliban, with devastating effect for the people there – women in particular,” he said.
“Pakistan would suffer the consequences, with all that that implies for international security. Central Asia would see extremism spread.
“Al Qaida would have a free run again, and their terrorist ambitions are global.
“This is not conjecture. This is fact. Those who argue otherwise – who say we can defend against terrorism from home – are simply burying their heads in the sand.”
Earlier, the Ministry of Defence revealed a soldier from The 2nd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers was killed on Sunday in an explosion while taking part in a foot patrol in northern Helmand province.
He was the 17th British soldier to die in Afghanistan since the start of the month and his loss took the total UK death toll to 186 since the start of operations in the country in 2001.
