Fury as US defence secretary says British can't fight insurgents

Published on Wednesday 16 January 2008 21:00

FURIOUS British troops in southern Afghanistan hit back yesterday at American claims they don't know how to fight.

Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, launched an amazing attack on UK, Canadian and Dutch troops, by suggesting they didn't know how to fight Taleban insurgents.

He told the Los Angeles Times: "I'm worried we have some military forces that don't know how to do counter-insurgency operations.

Most of the European forces, NATO forces, are not trained in counter-insurgency."

His astonishing comments caused widespread anger, and senior British officers warned him to "wind his neck in" while UK forces were giving their lives in lawless Helmand province.

Lt Col Simon Millar, the British military spokesman in Lashkar Gah, said: "It's amazing and completely unfair. I'm disappointed a coalition partner is making comments like that, when British soldiers are dying … carrying out a UN mandate to bring peace and stability."

The US is preparing to send an extra 3,200 marines to southern Afghanistan, and some analysts believe Mr Gates' comments are designed to mollify American public opinion over such an unpopular additional deployment.

In his interview, Mr Gates also heaped praise on US troops, who have been repeatedly blamed for civilian casualties and for jeopardising the "hearts and minds" campaign with "culturally insensitive" operations.

In August last year, they were forced to offer a grovelling apology after dropping footballs from helicopters in eastern Afghanistan, emblazoned with Allah's name – sparking fury even among moderate Muslims.

But Mr Gates said: "Our guys in the east … are doing a terrific job. They've got the (counter-insurgency] thing down pat. But I think our allies over there, this is not something they have any experience with."

Lt Col Millar insisted he had no idea what had prompted Mr Gates' remarks – but suggested the US defence secretary should visit Helmand for himself.

Afghan experts insisted it was the "heavy-handed" Americans who needed to improve their counter-insurgency tactics.

One senior western diplomat said: "The British have demonstrated that they have a better understanding of the Afghan people than the Americans."

The US general Dan McNeill, commander of Nato troops in Afghanistan, called the British ambassador in Kabul as soon as the story broke to assure him Mr Gates was speaking out of turn.

AMERICA CENSURES ITS ALLIES

THE United States has regularly criticised Germany, France, Italy and other allies that refuse to send their troops to Afghanistan to tackle the Taleban in the insurgents' southern strongholds.

But it has never before turned on allies who willingly engage in combat, such as Britain and Canada.

In his interview, Mr Gates said he had raised the lack of counter-insurgency training at a meeting of NATO countries in Edinburgh last month – a meeting attended by Des Browne, Britain's Defence Secretary.

But Mr Gates said his concerns did not appear to be shared by the NATO allies. "No-one at the table stood up and said, 'I agree with that'," he said.