UK cautiously optimistic about success of Afghan surge
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
London, Mar 8, IRNA -- Defence Secretary Liam Fox says that although the moment of insurgency in Afghanistan is expected to rise again this spring, he is “cautiously optimistic” about the success of the US-led Nato surge.
“It is too early to say definitively what the outcome of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) surge has been but the signs are encouraging,” Fox said.
“The increase in both ISAF and Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) has enabled us to continue to take the fight to the insurgency through the winter months,” he told MPs in a written parliamentary reply published Tuesday.
This, the defence secretary said, has led to the “momentum of the insurgency being arrested and reversed in many areas” and that the formal process of transition to Afghan-led security was expected to begin shortly.
“These gains are not irreversible and we should expect levels of insurgent activity to rise again in the spring,” he cautioned.
“But as the insurgency is degraded and the ANSF are built up, there is some cause for cautious optimism,” Fox told parliament.
His comments come after the Foreign Affairs Committee warned last week that the counter-insurgency measures in Afghanistan are not working and could be counter-productive unless the US and its allies start peace talks with the Taliban.
The all-party committee of MPs also questioned the justification for continuing the war and said it was time for a “political surge” as the current tactics being used in Afghanistan are not succeeding in achieving a stable solution.
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Islamic Republic News Agency/IRNA NewsCode: 30287386
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