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UK to change tactics in Afghanistan

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-07-28 23:03

LONDON: The British government decided to make a significant change in its tactics in eight-year conflict in Afghanistan under huge pressure and uncertainty, analysts said on Tuesday.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband on Monday set out his country's political strategy on Afghanistan, stressing the reconciliation of insurgents, reassurance of long-term commitment to Afghanistan's development and a regional approach.

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Huge pressure was exerted on British Prime Minister Gordon Brown as the public expressed strong dissatisfaction with his Afghanistan strategy.

The latest poll showed that Britain's opposition Conservatives have moved into their biggest lead over Brown's Labor Party since September.

Analysts said the senior ministers and military commanders seized on the success of the British mission in Afghanistan, dubbed Panther's Claw, to highlight the possibility of talks with the Taliban, which reflects their concern about the lack of progress so far in the counter insurgency.

The success of the operation provided an opportunity to address the public's disquiet due to the high death toll, which has risen to 189 since the beginning of the war in 2001, analysts said.

According to a ComRes poll, some 58 percent of the people believed that British troops should withdraw from Afghanistan immediately, compared with 42 percent registered in a ICM poll earlier this month.

GREATER POLITICAL UNCERTAINTY

Miliband argued that military force alone is never enough to achieve lasting success in counter-insurgency and called for talks with moderate Taliban leaders.

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