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Former UK armed forces chief calls for ‘western boots on the ground’ in Iraq Former UK armed forces chief calls for ‘western boots on the ground’ in Iraq
(about 1 hour later)
An air campaign alone against forces from Islamic State (Isis) in Iraq and Syria will not succeed, the former chief of the defence staff General Sir David Richards has said as he called for “western boots on the ground” to be deployed in a supporting role.An air campaign alone against forces from Islamic State (Isis) in Iraq and Syria will not succeed, the former chief of the defence staff General Sir David Richards has said as he called for “western boots on the ground” to be deployed in a supporting role.
As Nick Clegg confirmed that the Liberal Democrats are resisting Tory pressure to allow RAF Tornados to attack Isis targets in Syria, Richards said he feared that some leaders were failing to appreciate the scale of the challenge. As Nick Clegg confirmed that the Liberal Democrats were resisting Tory pressure to allow RAF Tornados to attack Isis targets in Syria, Richards said he feared that some leaders were failing to appreciate the scale of the challenge.
Speaking on the Andrew Marr Show on BBC1 after the beheading of the British charity worker Alan Henning, Richards said it was a “no brainer” for Britain to be involved in the air campaign against Isis targets in Syria. But he added: “Air power alone will not win a campaign like this. It isn’t actually a counter-terrorist operation. This is a conventional enemy in that it has armour, tanks, artillery, it is quite wealthy, it holds ground and it is going to fight. So therefore you have to view it as a conventional military campaign.” Speaking on the Andrew Marr Show on BBC1 after the beheading of the British charity worker Alan Henning, Richards said it was a “no brainer” for Britain to be involved in the air campaign against Isis targets in Syria.
But he added: “Air power alone will not win a campaign like this. It isn’t actually a counter-terrorist operation. This is a conventional enemy in that it has armour, tanks, artillery, it is quite wealthy, it holds ground and it is going to fight. So therefore you have to view it as a conventional military campaign.”
Richards said Isis would only be defeated by a ground operation, with western forces playing at least a supportive role. He said: “You either have to put your own boots on the ground at some point or else you have to very energetically and aggressively train up those who will do that with us and for us. My worry at the moment is that the scale of the challenge isn’t being met by the right scale of response.Richards said Isis would only be defeated by a ground operation, with western forces playing at least a supportive role. He said: “You either have to put your own boots on the ground at some point or else you have to very energetically and aggressively train up those who will do that with us and for us. My worry at the moment is that the scale of the challenge isn’t being met by the right scale of response.
“What we should be able to see is in the first part of the strategy we will contain Isis. They shouldn’t get any bigger. But then we have got to start doing the much more difficult thing which is attacking them and then eventually defeating them. This will take a lot of planning, a lot of logistics, outstanding command and control, and then we can get on and probably do it.“What we should be able to see is in the first part of the strategy we will contain Isis. They shouldn’t get any bigger. But then we have got to start doing the much more difficult thing which is attacking them and then eventually defeating them. This will take a lot of planning, a lot of logistics, outstanding command and control, and then we can get on and probably do it.
“But the issue is time. How long do we have? I am worried that without more intensive use of western boots on the ground, in a support role, we won’t do it in the time that we need to get on and achieve this in.”“But the issue is time. How long do we have? I am worried that without more intensive use of western boots on the ground, in a support role, we won’t do it in the time that we need to get on and achieve this in.”
But Clegg took issue with Richards. He told the Andrew Marr Show: “How you respond is not quite as straightforward as David Richards, much as I respect him, suggests. I don’t think it is a question of simply ramping up conventional armed forces again as if we were fighting state-to-state conflicts.”But Clegg took issue with Richards. He told the Andrew Marr Show: “How you respond is not quite as straightforward as David Richards, much as I respect him, suggests. I don’t think it is a question of simply ramping up conventional armed forces again as if we were fighting state-to-state conflicts.”
The deputy prime minister said that states would cooperate in a “jigsaw” operation in which different countries bring different capabilities against “stateless mobile troops”. But he said he was opposed to extending the British air campaign to Syria at the moment.The deputy prime minister said that states would cooperate in a “jigsaw” operation in which different countries bring different capabilities against “stateless mobile troops”. But he said he was opposed to extending the British air campaign to Syria at the moment.
“I wouldn’t advocate extending the air campaign into Syria which is why we didn’t do it last week,” he said. The prime minister would like to do this but will not propose such a vote unless the Lib Dems and Labour agree.“I wouldn’t advocate extending the air campaign into Syria which is why we didn’t do it last week,” he said. The prime minister would like to do this but will not propose such a vote unless the Lib Dems and Labour agree.