UK Former defence chief questions political timing of Obama's troop withdrawal

Former defence chief questions political timing of Obama's troop withdrawal

The former Chief of the Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshall Lord Stirrup, has questioned the 'political motives' behind US President Barack Obama's decision to withdraw 33,000 US troops from Afghanistan by next summer.

By Emily Gosden, Alex Spillius and Andy Bloxham

Mr Obama announced last night that he would order the withdrawal of 10,000 US troops from Afganistan by the end of this year and the remainder of the 33,000 "surge" forces by no later than September 2012 - two months before he stands for re-election.

Lord Stirrup said: "The concern I have about what was announced last night is that the date of summer next year does seem on the face of it to be more closely related to political and electoral timescales than actually to phased handover to the Afghan security forces."

His comments also followed Foreign Secretary William Hague's declaration this morning that there were "no ifs, no buts" over the deadline for British troop withdrawal of 2015, which is the year of the next general election.

Lord Stirrup told the BBC that withdrawals should be made when governments thought "this looks like a propitious moment to do it and we should go ahead - not because there are elections forthcoming in our own countries".

In a televised address from the White House last night, Mr Obama, who has faced rising public and Congressional opposition to the continued US presence in Afghanistan, said: "At a time of rising debt and hard economic times...it is time to focus on nation building at home."

He said that “the tide of war is receding” and tried to convey hope that “these long wars will come to a responsible end”.

“Even as there will be dark days ahead in Afghanistan, the light of a secure peace can be seen in the distance,” he said.

Aides to Mr Obama denied that his decision over withdrawal had been unduly influenced by his re-election ambitions. However an official conceded that "he is certainly aware that the American public after nearly a decade of war is focused on making sure we pursue an end to this war".

When Mr Obama announced the surge in late 2009, he included a promise to begin pulling out forces in July 2011 but said the rest of the withdrawal would be determined by "conditions on the ground". Last night he insisted that America was "starting this drawdown from a position of strength”.

Yet his decision to withdraw all the surge forces by next year flew in the face of advice of Gen David Petraeus, his senior commander in Afghanistan, who has always warned that advances were "fragile and reversible" and had favoured a smaller and slower reduction in troops.

Further words of caution over the withdrawal came from General Lord Dannatt, the former head of the British Army, who described Mr Obama's plan as "bold but risky". He suggested that the departure of British and American troops could see the Taliban reclaim power.

The British timetable for the end of combat operations in Afghanistan had previously been set at 2015 by David Cameron but had been called into question by senior defence figures.

Mr Hague told the BBC this morning: "We have said that by 2015 British forces will not be engaged in combat in Afghanistan or in anything like the numbers that they are now.

"What happens between now and 2015 depends on conditions on the ground and our continuing assessment of those.

"One of the conditions is that by 2015 we reach that point ... I can tell you there are no ifs, no buts about that."

Gen Sir Peter Wall, the head of the Army, had cast doubt on the policy last night during an interview for BBC documentary Afghanistan: War Without End?. He said: "Whether or not it turns out to be an absolute timeline or more conditions-based approach nearer the time, we shall find out."

Mr Hague's comment was the second in a week from senior politicians warning the top brass to mind their place.

Mr Cameron showed his exasperation after critical headlines in the Daily Telegraph, telling them: “You do the fighting, I’ll do the talking”.

In the last 24 hours, Mr Hague has disclosed that Britain led the way in persuading the US that negotiation with the Taliban was the best potential solution to the conflict.

The Foreign Secretary is on a three-day tour of the country to meet Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, and to visit British troops.

He admitted that any deal might mean accepting “distasteful things” and could anger military families but said that people were “realistic and practical” enough to accept that talks were the best way to extricate Britain from the conflict.

Mr Hague also disclosed that the Taliban are still in league with Al Qaeda but said the death of Osama bin Laden had provided a vital opportunity to sever the link.