Blinkx Video: AFGHANISTAN: NATO commander says British troops who wtihdrew from Afghanistan's Helmand province would be ready to go back if needed

AFGHANISTAN: NATO commander says British troops who wtihdrew from Afghanistan's Helmand province would be ready to go back if needed
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AFGHANISTAN: NATO commander says British troops who wtihdrew from Afghanistan's Helmand province would be ready to go back if needed

NATO commander in Afghanistan, British General David Richards, said on Tuesday (October 17, 2006) the redeployment of British troops from Musa Qala in Helmand province was possible because the security situation there was stable. "Well, the world pulling out is wrong, we reserve the right to rebalance and move our troops in whichever way makes military sense, the requirement for a permanent presence in the district centre itself in the town is no longer there, because with the assistance of the tribal elders, that place is being secured by other means." he told repeaters at joint news conference with Afghan defence ministry officials. Tribal chiefs and Afghan troops controlled the district and NATO would send its troops back if needed, he added. "Far from being defeated we are now in a situation as a result of fighting the Taliban to standstill, don't forget they spent many week trying to kick us out of those district centres and failed.' he told the news conference. The alliance said in a statement up to 16 Taliban, including the commander, were killed in the overnight attack in Uruzgan. Meanwhile on Tuesday (October 17), U.S. warplanes killed a senior Taliban commander in an air strike in the violence-racked southern Afghan province of Uruzgan on Tuesday, NATO said. The strike comes as British forces with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) began pulling out of the Musa Qala district in neighbouring Helmand, scene of bloody battles with Taliban insurgents until local tribal leaders brokered a truce six weeks ago. "The aircraft engaged a known mid-level Taliban commander in the vicinity of Bagh-Khosak in the Khod Valley with three 500 pound bombs, killing him and 10 to 15 additional Taliban militants," the alliance said in a statement. "And it is a result of success not failure, that we can now redeploy these troops in other ways. That said we will continue as I said to go back into Musa Qala if the security situation demands it."said NATO commander David Richards at news conference.

ITN Source | October 17, 2006