Press Office

Aired: Sunday, 15 October, 2006 10:12
Sky News

The full interview will be broadcast tonight (Sunday, 15 October) at 8pm on Sky News in a `War in Afghanistan: Sky News special.'

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Any quotes used MUST be credited to `War in Afghanistan: a Sky News special."
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Interviewed by James Rubin for a Sky News Afghanistan War special, broadcast on Sunday night, the British NATO Commander in Afghanistan, Lt-Gen David Richards, warns that:

"CONSTANT FRUSTRATED ASPIRATIONS AND FAILED DELIVERY ON PRIOMISES" WILL TURN THE AFGHAN POPULATION AGAINST NATO TROOPS

"There is absolutely no doubt here in anybody’s mind that the international community in all the things we’ve set out to do, and my troops and the British troops in Helmand are still wanted, they want us to succeed. But the issue is how long do we take to succeed, because constant frustrated aspirations and failed delivery on promises will slowly turn the population against us. And we do now have, building on some very brave fighting- tremendously brave fighting by British troops amongst others- we do have an opportunity to deliver those other things. And funnily enough, my biggest priority at the moment to do whatever I can to assist others, to, if you like fulfil their part of the contract. If we don’t, then over time, this could be a difficult and more dangerous situation still simply because people don’t see us all- not just all military- ‘Us all’ the international community and the government of Afghanistan doing what they really want us to do."

LT-GEN RICHARDS ON SIR RICHARD DANNATT:

James Rubin : … will the British Army "break" before the Taliban ?

Lt-Gen Richards : "Well, I don’t think for one minute General Dannatt was using it in that context, that term. And he stressed from what I know - he stressed that this was a longer term issue. Today we are succeeding, and he certainly made that point clear. And, actually in Helmand we fought the Taliban to a stand still – if you now look at the number of incidents in Helmand they are virtually negligible compared with the situation four to six, even eight weeks ago. That impact, along with what happened in Kandahar where the Canadians led a similar operation, has had that psychological effect on the Taliban on the one side, and on the good people, the 80-90% of this country who want us to succeed."

ISSUED BY:
Stella Tooth

Publicity Manager, Sky News

m: 07802 754 877

www.sky.com/publicity

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