Liam Fox insists army cannot leave Afghanistan until job done (original) (raw)

An early withdrawal of coalition troops from Afghanistan would risk a return of civil war and act as a "shot in the arm to jihadists" across the world, the defence secretary, Liam Fox, warned today.

In marked contrast to David Cameron, who pledged over the weekend to withdraw all British troops by 2015, Fox said Britain would be betraying the sacrifices of its fallen soldiers if it left "before the job is finished".

British forces would be among the last to leave Afghanistan, he added, because they are stationed in Helmand, one the most dangerous provinces in the country.

Fox, who annoyed Downing Street in May by likening Afghanistan to a "broken 13th century country", made no mention of the prime minister's withdrawal timetable in an early draft of a speech to the rightwing Heritage Foundation in Washington. He instead focused on the importance of completing the Nato mission as he issued dire warnings of the dangers of leaving early.

"Were we to leave prematurely, without degrading the insurgency and increasing the capability of the Afghan national security forces, we could see the return of the destructive forces of transnational terror," he said. "Not only would we risk the return of civil war in Afghanistan, creating a security vacuum, but we would also risk the destabilisation of Pakistan with potentially unthinkable regional, and possibly nuclear, consequences."

Fox warned of an increased terror threat across the world if troops left too soon. "The second reason is that it would be a shot in the arm to jihadists everywhere, re-energising violent radical and extreme Islamism. It would send the signal that we did not have the moral resolve and political fortitude to see through what we ourselves have described as a national security imperative."

A failure in Afghanistan would damage the credibility of Nato. "The first objective of armed conflict is to win it. To leave before the job is finished would leave us less safe and less secure.

"Our resolve would be called into question, our cohesion weakened and the alliance undermined. It would be a betrayal of all the sacrifices made by our armed forces in life and limb."

No 10 denied that Fox was at odds with Cameron, who said at the G8 summit in Toronto on Friday that he wanted troops to be home within five years.

Asked if he wanted British forces home before the 2015 general election, Cameron said: "I want that to happen, make no mistake about it. We can't be there for another five years, having been there for nine years already." The prime minister's spokesman said: "I don't think there is any difference. The prime minister has been very clear about this. There is an agreed strategy."

The Ministry of Defence later issued an amended version of Fox's speech which referred to Cameron's remarks. This quoted Fox as saying: "Our natural impatience to see our troops come home should be seen in the context of the needs of national security. As David Cameron made clear to the British parliament on Monday, the presence of large-scale Isaf [International Security Assistance Forces] cannot be indefinite. We want the Afghans to assume increasing responsibility for security within the next five years. We need, therefore, to get the job done."

The apparent difference between the prime minister and the defence secretary will fuel speculation of tensions. Relations between Fox and Cameron became strained last autumn when the prime minister announced that General Sir Richard Dannatt, the former chief of the general staff, would become a defence minister. Fox successfully fought a battle to block Dannatt's appointment.

Downing Street was irritated with Fox when he announced in June that Sir Jock Stirrup would be standing down as chief of the defence staff. Fox and Cameron had agreed earlier this year that Stirrup would be retiring but No 10 was annoyed by Fox's decision to announce it.