UK armed forces chief: West cannot defeat al-Qaida

General David Richards is right. This is a war to be won with words and understanding of the truth. All sides are in error; only truth will win.

What alot of B.S. they just dont have the will to defeat them, even says that here - defeating Islamist militancy is “unnecessary and would never be achieved.”

It can never be achieved because they are guerrillas fighting a guerrilla war.

MarieDevine maybe you should elaborate when you come down from that high.

The primary message of the Qur'an is to follow the whole Bible.

Primary? It is not even a minor message in that book and among its followers. That Islam is one of the Abrahamic faiths and is 'not very different from Christianity and Judaism' is one of the colossally foolish misconceptions of our time.

This armed forces chief apparantly doesn't know the meaning of boosting moral. Not that Al-quaida can't be eliminated, its just that they can not be eliminated by using direct force only. Contain them and try to keep the rest of the populace in Afghanistan away from them and give them better opportunities and choices, and try to encourage them to get the backbone and courage to fight Islamic militants themselves since we all know the militants LOVE to scurry into to little cracks of the community for protection. But as long as Afganistan keeps dealing with corrupt government officials I can understand it is a pipe dream since the rest of the Afgani's only go along with whoever promises the best way out whether it is the government or the militants.

There will always be evil people who must be defeated.

We need to bring the troops home. Staying in Afghanistan does nothing except spent funds, materials and lives to keep some valley. We don't want the damn valley and killing or getting killed won't change the terrorist situation.

By fighting them we are creating more Al Quaeda to fight against us. Wonderful process. < :-)

If we blow up the whole world, that would take care of them.

Leave afghanistan fast,like done in Iraq.

Let the afghans and afghan national army, who are divided politically decide their rulers , chiefs and president, for all the different regions of afghanistan.

USA and EU,is becoming poor via heavy costs in maintaining drones,apache helicopter(USD20 million-1 apache),chinooks(USD 35million-1chinnok),bases,ammunitions,expensive bombs,expensive missiles and other war equipments.

All these are now running up costs,into 1000s of US dollars for maintenance of war. Many wars of past,have ended, due to having not much money.

Afghanistan valleys,should be developed by afghans via their making.

Life expectancy in afghanistan is 45 yrs,if we are going to make it 60 yrs,it can be done in the future by more peaceful ways.

There is huge bad press for EU and US,coming from these wars.

The trillions spent last 10 years,have now to be paid ,in massive public debts by US and EU. US and EU economic improvement,is further delayed.

China has enjoyed peace,and booming ahead.

The EU and US has made themselves behind via huge public debts.

EU citizens and US citizens are concerned with afghanistan casualties and rise of public debt to trillions.

The West has to leave afghanistan,and like it did in vietnam in 1975. Vietnam is doing fine and done well ,by accepting more peaceful ways of help.

NATO’s inability to deliver on its promises.

There is an estimate that the cost of killing one Taliban soldier is $50 million. I have no idea if the estimate is accurate or not.

But let's assume it is. If I was getting paid $50 million for each guy I killed I wouldn't be in any big hurry to defeat my enemies, or give up, either. "Containment" would be my plan too.

Nice to see the British being their usual positive selves.

They are not negative but realists, which is possibly the best atittude to have whn dealing with the "bad guys".

First the PM, now the General. More tough love from the British lately.

Just as long as the leaders are aware of the subconscious messages given out by their wording.

Militant Islam has waxed and waned like the moon, throughout the centuries. Al-Qaida is one intermediate name to describe a tumescent phase of the Hydra. In this sense you can never hope to defeat a belief or thought system. With long attrition, the people holding the flag of Al-Queda may grow tired, but no-one can predict when this inevitable stage will be reached. The question is whether to keep striking at the head(s) or leave it alone and see what happens.

He seems to be referring to Al-Qaida in Afghanistan. On behalf of the Afghan people I would love to be able to say a million thanks for all the money and time and thought and lives given to protect them, but that is not for me to say. Or do they want to say thank you to Al-Qaida for spending all that money, time, thought and lives in support of the Taliban?

sarge: "There will always be evil people who must be defeated."

Sadly, those who so adamantly think so dismiss the evil they themselves adhere to and subscribe to. AQ is an evil that sadly will not disappear, but that does not by definition make other religions or beliefs 'better' by definition. Like it or not, and hopefully not, people will take a message they see or hear and use it to their own means. It could be a terrorist bombing a government center like McVeigh, or someone bombing the Pentagon. These people, be they Christian, Muslim, or anything else never look for how the can help and/or prevent such things, they just look for opposites they can blame everything under the sun on. THAT is the problem, and nothing else. None of you are willing to begin to look at the problems, only to say they are someone else's and not your fault.

The West will never defeat AQ because you're always going to have people exactly like your average Joe in Michigan or anywhere else.... someone who takes no responsibility for their actions, and who can find strength in numbers with people who think like-wise. Of course, the major difference being people in Michigan didn't have their families slaughtered by US bombs.

Of course, the major difference being people in Michigan didn't have their families slaughtered by US bombs.

Oh so it's US bombs that caused AQ to come about. I see. And all this time I thought it was because GW Bush was the President and he invaded Iraq. But it was the bombs slaughtering families around the world doing that. Thanks for the great insight Smith.

War is not the answer, but this UK General Richards, sounds like a real wimp! If he does not have anything good to say, better to have this old chap shut up, and let the Americans keep on bombing the hell out of these Talibani etc...I know it is not the answer but if we do not kill them in their lousy countries, they will be trying to kill us in ours. I guess it is the only thing I can agree with Bush, take the war to the enemy.

Stay on the sofa, Brits. Obama promised to fight AQ wherever they were.

RR

Csrry on living in your dreamland right wing Americans. Gung ho cowardly attacks are not the British way.

SCPFC

smithinjapan: It could be a terrorist bombing a government center like McVeigh, or someone bombing the Pentagon

That's an excellent point of view. From now on when people talk about dropping bombs in Afghanistan I think we should mention Canada and other countries regardless of what the overall percentages are. Anyone who singles out one country, even if the vast majority of bombs are dropped by that country, must simply be racist.

Gen David Richards is reported as saying in interviews with British media published Sunday that defeating Islamist militancy is “unnecessary and would never be achieved.”

Maybe Richards isn't the right man for the job he's being asked to do?

Yes arrestpaul, I really think this is the best question here about this Richards guy not being the best person for such a duty.

RomeoRamenII: Stay on the sofa, Brits.

Yeah steve like Romeo said, maybe you should stay on the sofa because your track record of taking on the hard challenges just haven't been there in the 20th Century. No wonder the Empire has been lost. You'll scream that it's the Yanks that should do the hard work in Afghan but the day you need the Yanks again you'll pile the hard jobs on them yet again.

I agree with Richards that an all out defeat is not possible but at least I want the Brits to agree to the containment theory and not just give up and pull out. You can't depend on the Yanks to do it all for you every time like in the 20th Century.

British people care little for that conflict and would prefer to ensure our shores are safe feom Al Qaida. The majority unlike the American right are against mass killings by planes and drones and are also strongly against waterboarding which is enjoyed by the darling rhe right Georgie Bush.

Britain does not run away from a fight but sure knows how to contain and use diplomacy rather that wild west juvenile tactics thar embolden terrorysts and strengthen their base.

British people care little for that conflict and would prefer to ensure our shores are safe feom Al Qaida.

Have you been doing a better job after the 07/07 attacks?

mass killings by planes and drones

A true leftie phrase to overinflate targeted insurgents. Let me guess each drone takes out: 100s of babies right?

Britain does not run away from a fight but sure knows how to contain and use diplomacy rather that wild west juvenile tactics thar embolden terrorysts and strengthen their base.

How well did that policy work with Hitler?

Moderator: Readers, please stop sniping at each other.

The Brits have consistently run away from fights since their inane generalship in W.W.I cost them heavy casualties. This is just the latest example of how gutless and irrelevant that country has become.

A history lesson for thr last 2 posters who seem to get news from watching Hollywood war movies and Fox News. Yes there were Nazis whose massive military machine was partly funded by the Bush family. Braitain declared war against them and bravely stood firm and halted Hitlers plans to invade us. we also had a tim pot dictator from Argentina who tried to throw his weight around who we dealt with strongly far away from our shores.

Britain dos not run away from terror but looks at the facts peoperly without a cowboy mentality and also hold the moral high ground for forbidding evil doer acts of torture that embolden the "bad guts" such as waterboarding.

stevecpfc - Braitain declared war against them and bravely stood firm and halted Hitlers plans to invade us. we also had a tim pot dictator from Argentina who tried to throw his weight around who we dealt with strongly far away from our shores.

Britain dos not run away from terror but looks at the facts peoperly without a cowboy mentality and also hold the moral high ground for forbidding evil doer acts of torture that embolden the "bad guts" such as waterboarding.

Maybe you're the guy who should assume Gen Richards job. Couldn't do any worse.

Richards added that Britain did not “fully understand what was at stake” in Afghanistan and that the Afghan people were beginning to tire of NATO’s inability to deliver on its promises.

Troublesome how "AQ" and "Afghan insurgency" are somehow made to appear as if they're both indistinguishable from one another.... Troublesome indeed!