British Army chief backs US decision not to draw down ISAF

General Sir David Richards, the Chief of the General Staff of the British Army, has endorsed the decision of US President Barack Obama not to start pulling US troops out of Afghanistan during a speech in London on 7 October.

Gen Richards admitted that NATO's Afghanistan strategy remained "ill defined" but insisted that there was still time to give the mission direction and resources.

The strategy is "what we thought President Obama was starting to grapple with in March", when the newly elected president completed his 'Afpak' review and decided to despatch an additional 21,000 troops to the country, Gen Richards said.

However, the refusal to pull out of Afghanistan meant that "President Obama and the catalyst that his presidency still promises to be" could yet enable NATO to set Afghanistan on a stable foundation, Gen Richards argued, addressing an audience at London's School of Oriental and African Studies.

Pulling out would have been a grave mistake, he continued, pointing to the "hugely intoxicating [and] inspirational effect" that a perceived NATO defeat would have on Al-Qaeda. He also warned that "defeat in Afghanistan could spread like a contagion into Pakistan".