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| Britain | |
| BBC predicts 15,000 troops pulled from N. Ireland for Iraq and Afghanistan | |
| 2007-01-03 | |
| All eyes are on Iraq and Afghanistan, but military observer Peter Caddick-Adams is looking closer to home for the most drastic change in events - Northern Ireland. There are about 15,000 UK troops stationed there, but most will be given notice to leave by the end of 2007, he thinks. The effect will be to release a huge number of soldiers for duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. And it's the latter that Caddick-Adams thinks will increasingly become the primary focus of the British forces, to the extent that it will replace Northern Ireland as Britain's main long-term military commitment. "That won't be said, as such. No general would say it without the backing of a politician. But between Iraq and Afghanistan, Afghanistan is the more winnable option. You're not so much fighting an ideology as a tribal habit," says Caddick-Adams. "Northern Ireland has exacerbated the recent overstretch - after nearly 40 years of involvement there, it's become home to permanent garrisons, barracks, headquarters and the like. But Sinn Fein's move at Christmas to accommodate the new Police Service of Northern Ireland signals a long-term peaceful outlook."
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| Posted by:Anonymoose |