The UK's commander in Helmand has said Britain should not expect a "decisive military victory" in Afghanistan.

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He said this could this involve discussing security with the Taleban.

When international troops leave there may still be a "low but steady" level of rural insurgency in Afghanistan, he conceded.

'Taken the sting out'

He said it was unrealistic to expect multinational forces would be able to wipe out armed bands of insurgents in the country.

Brig Carleton-Smith is the Commander of 16 Air Assault Brigade which has just completed its second tour of Afghanistan.

He paid tribute to his forces and told the newspaper they had "taken the sting out of the Taleban for 2008".

But he stated: "We're not going to win this war.

"It's about reducing it to a manageable level of insurgency that's not a strategic threat and can be managed by the Afghan army."

Brig Carleton-Smith said the goal was to change how debates were resolved in the country so that violence was not the first option considered.

He said: "If the Taleban were prepared to sit on the other side of the table and talk about a political settlement, then that's precisely the sort of progress that concludes insurgencies like this.

"That shouldn't make people uncomfortable."

Since the start of operations in Afghanistan in 2001, 120 UK military personnel have been killed.

(BBC)

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