Pulling troops out early would give ground back to Taliban, says general
David Cameron was today warned not to pull troops out of Afghanistan early.
Britain's most senior general in the war-torn country said significant withdrawals risked handing hard-won ground back to the Taliban.
Lieutenant General James Bucknall also said it could send mixed messages that would encourage insurgents.
"This is not the time to send conflicting signals on commitment to the campaign," he said.
Days ago, the Prime Minister said that about 450 troops would be pulled out of Afghanistan by the end of the year. The killing of Osama bin Laden has also sparked a debate about when the military surge implemented by US President Barack Obama should be wound down.
Lt-Gen Bucknall, deputy head of Nato's Afghan mission, said there should be no large-scale pullout until next autumn at the earliest, to hold on to gains made since the surge.
"The coalition has had a good winter. We have got to hold on to what we have gained and hold that over this fighting season," he told the Daily Telegraph.
"What we are doing is reaping the benefits of having the resources in place to match the strategy we have always had. Many of those resources only hit the ground in autumn 2010.
"We need, in broadest terms, that set of resources in place for two winters and two fighting seasons, which would mean we are talking about autumn 2012."
A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said Afghanistan remained the "top priority" and that troops would not be reduced until "lasting security" was in place. She added that UK forces would not be in a combat role or in present numbers - around 9,500 - by 2015.
Shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy said it was "worrying" if Mr Cameron was overlooking the concerns of senior military figures. "People will want guarantees that a faster than expected drawdown will harm neither military capability nor strategy," he said.
British jets continued to attack Libya over the weekend, destroying several tanks. Eight senior Libyan military officers abandoned Colonel Gaddafi and said they were among 120 officials and soldiers who had defected in recent days.
Talks in Tripoli between Gaddafi and South African president Jacob Zuma ended without an announcement on ending the conflict.
Armed westerners were filmed with rebels on the front line near Misrata, prompting speculation they could be British special forces.
