Opposition MSPs hit out at remembrance day remarks

Salmond under fire over war in Afghanistan

By Ryan Crighton

Published:

First Minister Alex Salmond faced criticism last night after using a Remembrance Sunday television appearance to advocate the withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan.

Speaking just hours after the head of the armed forces admitted that it could be five more years before Afghan forces would be ready to take responsibility for security themselves — and on the day Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth said failure in Afghanistan would be “a disaster” for Britain — the SNP leader said there was “no confidence” among the public in the UK Government’s strategy.

As families gathered to remember the ultimate sacrifice made by members of the armed forces, including the 201 soldiers who have died in action in Afghanistan, Mr Salmond said it was time for a “fundamental re-assessment” of the Afghan mission and that a possible withdrawal should be considered.

Last night, opposition MSPs hit out at the timing of his statement.

Mr Salmond told the BBC’s Politics Show: “There has to be a fundamental reassessment of the role, mission, strategy, exit strategy — nothing should be off the table. That should include the possibility of a withdrawal.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Tavish Scott said he agreed with Mr Salmond’s concerns but yesterday “was not the day” to call for a withdrawal.

“The country is very worried about our involvement in Afghanistan because very few can see when that involvement will end,” he said.

“I wouldn’t choose today (Sunday) to debate Afghanistan, but I am in no doubt that it is a serious issue and one which needs discussed. There will be numerous foreign policy debates to come at Westminster and I don’t think today was the day to debate it.”

Conservative MSP Alex Johnstone said: “This is not the day for that call to be made and it is highly irresponsible for Scotland’s first minister to make a comment on Remembrance Sunday that could be interpreted that way.”

Despite the criticism, public opinion appears to be with the first minister, with a poll showing that 63% of the population want British troops to be brought home as soon as possible.

Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth MP admitted yesterday that support for the campaign had been “dented”, but insisted that military involvement in Afghanistan could not be determined by public opinion.

He said: “British public opinion has been dented by the level of losses that we have received but we cannot run a campaign like this off the back of an opinion poll. We have to persevere, we have to show some resolution.

“This campaign is directly connected to our safety back here in the United Kingdom and people need to recognise that. Failure will be a disaster for us.”

The ComRes poll showed 64% now believe the war is “unwinnable”.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown insisted that it was making the streets of Britain safer.

He said: “It’s right that we explain there is a chain of terror that links Pakistan and the Afghanistan-Pakistan border to the streets of our cities in Britain. If we do not take action in Pakistan and Afghanistan then al Qaida would be plotting more trouble and more chaos in the streets of our cities.”

Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, the head of the British armed forces, said much more needed to be done to show the mission was “do-able”.

“I do think it is incredibly important that we do better at describing to people the success that we are having — to demonstrate that, over the long term, this is do-able. I don’t think we have been nearly good enough.

“What we see is the downside and it is a very, very painful downside — tragic losses, bereaved families back home that are having to cope with that loss, people who are injured and having to deal with a complete change in their life.

“But talk to the people who are doing it on the ground and they will tell you that they are making real progress. We have got to do much better at describing their progress.

“It is painful, it is slow, it is halting, but it is in the right direction.”

Air Chief Marshall Stirrup warned that it could be another four or five years before the Afghan forces were ready to take over responsibility for security themselves.

As the debate over Afghanistan raged on last night, it was announced that another British soldier had been killed. The serviceman from 4th Battalion, The Rifles, died in a blast near Sangin, in Helmand Province, yesterday morning. His family have been informed.

He is the 201st member of British military personnel to be killed in action since 2001. The total death toll for UK troops is 232.