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[Adventurer]

Army fears over troop levels

Military planners were concerned that the renewed Afghan mission would mean forces would have to be pulled out of Iraq

Ned Temko and Mark Townsend
Sunday October 15, 2006
The Observer


Military planners have been urging senior commanders to seek the pullout of up to half their troops from Iraq in order to bolster the battle against the Taliban in Afghanistan, The Observer has learnt.
Their hope is for a withdrawal of 'between one-third and a half' of the 7,000 British troops in Iraq by May next year, and reflects a growing concern over the pressures on an increasingly stretched army.

The call reportedly emerged from a major planning review earlier this year, shortly before the then Defence Secretary, John Reid, sent the first major part of a currently 5,500-strong army contingent to Afghanistan.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/politics/story/0,,1922912,00.html

[A two-front war was a bad idea. The political leadership failed the military in both England and America. Afghanistan has to be secured. At least in Iraq, the Shiites and Kurds form a clear majority and more areas are under control.]