When the man in charge of the military mission to bring peace to Afghanistan says that the campaign is in serious trouble, we should all sit up and pay attention. It is not just the haunting thought that the sacrifices made by thousands of British and Allied personnel might ultimately prove to be in vain. The failure of the Nato mission in Afghanistan would almost certainly sound the alliance's death knell, and have catastrophic consequences for global security. It would also inflict lasting harm on one of the world's most troubled regions.
If the stakes are so high, then why has the West made such a mess of the most important Nato mission in its 60-year history? The campaign started with such high hopes, following the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001, but has now unravelled to the point where the constant attrition has led to widespread calls for the troops to be brought home.
General Stanley McChrystal, the American commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan, is under no illusions about the litany of mistakes made during the past eight years. Addressing the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London yesterday, he was unsparing in his critique of the West, from the failure to address the needs of ordinary Afghans following the Taliban's overthrow to the highly complex – and at times unworkable – command structure that has seriously undermined the effectiveness of the military campaign.
"It took us longer than I wish it had to recognise this is a serious insurgency. We have under-resourced our operations. In some areas we have not performed," he said. "The situation is serious, and I choose that word very, very carefully."
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