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http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,709079,00.html Critics say mission could turn into Britain's Vietnam Nicholas Watt, political correspondent Friday May 3, 2002 The Guardian Senior government sources, who boasted last year that the net was tightening around Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaida leadership, have become noticeably less confident in recent months. As 1,000 Royal Marines embarked on the largest offensive deployment since the Gulf war in the mountains of south-eastern Afghanistan, the government made clear yesterday that the allies were facing a long battle to root out al-Qaida. "A substantial offensive is under way," the prime minister's official spokesman said, hours after the announcement that Operation Snipe had started. "It is in very difficult mountainous territory and there are very real risks of casualties." Labour MPs, who have raised fears that British troops are in danger of being sucked into a Vietnam-style civil war in Afghanistan, warned last night of the dangers of "mission creep". Ronnie Campbell, the Labour MP for Blyth Valley who has warned of British troops being "bogged down" in Afghanistan in the same way as the Soviets in the 1980s, said last night: "Only time will tell what will happen. But the difference is that we have the best troops in the world." A leading military expert defended Operation Snipe, insisting that it would play a highly significant role in helping to stabilise Afghanistan ahead of the loya jirga, or traditional assembly, which will decide on the composition of the next government in mid-June. Christopher Langton, the head of defence analysis at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said: "It is crucial to keep up the pressure on the Taliban and al-Qaida to make sure that they are kept in the hills. If they were allowed to re-infiltrate the Pashtun heartlands and cause trouble the loya jirga would probably get off to a poor start." Col Langton said that the length of the British deployment would depend on the success of the assembly. "There is an argument that Afghan troops, trained by the west, could take over if the loya jirga is a success," he said. "But some people doubt that that can be achieved very quickly because the administration is dominated by Tajiks. They cannot operate in Pashtun areas and there are not enough Pashtuns who would be able to take on al-Qaida and the Taliban." Critics have raised questions about why Britain is taking on such a hazardous job when the US is leading the war in Afghanistan. Col Langton said: "Even the US has finite resources. The Royal Marines are probably the best high-altitude foot soldiers in the western world." Nigel Vinson, the head of the UK defence programme at the Royal United Services Institute, said that Operation Snipe will intensify the debate about the future role of the British army. He said: "Will we concentrate on nation building, as we are doing with Isaf [the International Security Assistance Force] in Afghanistan or will we develop our rapid-reaction forces to fight in the way the Royal Marines are? Unless we are prepared to give extra resources, what we are doing is unsustainable in the longer term." __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Health - your guide to health and wellness http://health.yahoo.com --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
