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| Afghan mission 'failing' - Clegg | |
| (31 minutes later) | |
| Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg has warned that the mission in Afghanistan is "failing" and said a "completely new strategy" needs to be drawn up. | |
| He said there was "one last chance" to do that, telling the BBC the current effort was "unfair on our brave British servicemen and servicewomen". | |
| And ex-leader Lord Ashdown warned that pulling troops out would give al-Qaeda free reign and endanger UK security. | |
| They spoke ahead of a Lib Dem debate on how to end the UK's Afghan mission. | |
| The motion being debated on Tuesday calls for a "focus on concluding the Afghan mission". | |
| Mission tests | Mission tests |
| While stopping short of calling for a timetable for the withdrawal of the UK's 9,000 troops - in Afghanistan as part of a 40,000 strong Nato force - the motion says ministers must report to Parliament "on progress towards a withdrawal". | While stopping short of calling for a timetable for the withdrawal of the UK's 9,000 troops - in Afghanistan as part of a 40,000 strong Nato force - the motion says ministers must report to Parliament "on progress towards a withdrawal". |
| But Lord Ashdown told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Tuesday it would focus on plans for "withdrawal after succeeding, not withdrawal after failing". | But Lord Ashdown told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Tuesday it would focus on plans for "withdrawal after succeeding, not withdrawal after failing". |
| The motion also calls on ministers to be held more rigorously to account over the progress being made in stabilising parts of the country and improving national and local governance. | The motion also calls on ministers to be held more rigorously to account over the progress being made in stabilising parts of the country and improving national and local governance. |
| The top US commander in Afghanistan has said the mission risks failure unless more troops are sent. | The top US commander in Afghanistan has said the mission risks failure unless more troops are sent. |
| What we're doing at the moment in Afghanistan is failing Nick Clegg, Lib Dem leader | |
| Lord Ashdown, once blocked by the Afghan government from taking up a senior diplomatic role in the country, has been increasingly critical of the Nato mission, saying its aims have become blurred. | Lord Ashdown, once blocked by the Afghan government from taking up a senior diplomatic role in the country, has been increasingly critical of the Nato mission, saying its aims have become blurred. |
| This view is shared by the Lib Dem leadership which has called for a rethink of strategy on the ground while continuing to support the presence of UK troops. | This view is shared by the Lib Dem leadership which has called for a rethink of strategy on the ground while continuing to support the presence of UK troops. |
| Lord Ashdown said there had never been a coordinated plan of action drawn up by all countries acting in Afghanistan. | Lord Ashdown said there had never been a coordinated plan of action drawn up by all countries acting in Afghanistan. |
| "Unless we get a strategy, a united international strategy, an interlocking political and military one, no amount of extra troops are going to win this battle," he said. | "Unless we get a strategy, a united international strategy, an interlocking political and military one, no amount of extra troops are going to win this battle," he said. |
| Lord Ashdown also called on Gordon Brown to do more to unite the British public behind the Afghan mission. | |
| "He has completely failed to explain why our troops are there," Lord Ashdown said. "We're not a squeamish people, we can take sacrifice and pain if we're convinced we know what the war is for and there is a reasonable prospect of success. | "He has completely failed to explain why our troops are there," Lord Ashdown said. "We're not a squeamish people, we can take sacrifice and pain if we're convinced we know what the war is for and there is a reasonable prospect of success. |
| "Both of those things have been absent for the last three or four years. | "Both of those things have been absent for the last three or four years. |
| "I think there is a real possibility now that we will lose the battle in Afghanistan in the pubs and front rooms of Britain before we lose it in the deserts and mountains of Afghanistan." | "I think there is a real possibility now that we will lose the battle in Afghanistan in the pubs and front rooms of Britain before we lose it in the deserts and mountains of Afghanistan." |
| Consequences | Consequences |
| Speaking earlier at a fringe meeting, Lord Ashdown said the repercussions of military defeat or forced withdrawal from Afghanistan would be disastrous for the region and the world as a whole. | Speaking earlier at a fringe meeting, Lord Ashdown said the repercussions of military defeat or forced withdrawal from Afghanistan would be disastrous for the region and the world as a whole. |
| Failure or withdrawal would lead to consequences that are baleful Lord Ashdown | Failure or withdrawal would lead to consequences that are baleful Lord Ashdown |
| While al-Qaeda was currently confined to North-West Pakistan, the exit of foreign troops from Afghanistan would give the terrorist group "the whole country to play around in". | While al-Qaeda was currently confined to North-West Pakistan, the exit of foreign troops from Afghanistan would give the terrorist group "the whole country to play around in". |
| This would increase the security threat to the UK since there was a direct link between "Osama Bin Laden in his cave to a terrorist flat in Bolton". | This would increase the security threat to the UK since there was a direct link between "Osama Bin Laden in his cave to a terrorist flat in Bolton". |
| The withdrawal of troops could irreparably undermine the Nato alliance while proving a body blow to Pakistan, whose internal "collapse" it could trigger. | The withdrawal of troops could irreparably undermine the Nato alliance while proving a body blow to Pakistan, whose internal "collapse" it could trigger. |
| It would also damage efforts to support moderate Muslim societies around the world, he added. | It would also damage efforts to support moderate Muslim societies around the world, he added. |
| "Failure or withdrawal would lead to consequences that are baleful," he said. "I don't think these are consequences that we should seek." | "Failure or withdrawal would lead to consequences that are baleful," he said. "I don't think these are consequences that we should seek." |
| Separately, Lord Ashdown said the party had to have "serious answers" to an unprecedented combination of domestic and global crises if it was to continue to prosper. | Separately, Lord Ashdown said the party had to have "serious answers" to an unprecedented combination of domestic and global crises if it was to continue to prosper. |
| As the only party with a truly "internationalist" outlook, it had to "shout louder" about the merits of continuing to fund foreign aid in a recession and the need to support international institutions. | As the only party with a truly "internationalist" outlook, it had to "shout louder" about the merits of continuing to fund foreign aid in a recession and the need to support international institutions. |