John
11-14-2010, 06:27 PM
The head of Britain's Armed Forces has warned that the West will never be able to defeat al-Qeada and Islamic militants.
General Sir David Richards said the national security of Britain was still at stake, but the threat could be contained to allow Britons to lead secure lives.
In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, he also revealed that Prince William was unlikely to serve in Afghanistan, but suggested that Prince Harry could return to front-line duty in the campaign as a helicopter pilot.
The commander was speaking before the Remembrance Sunday ceremony in Whitehall, where he will lay a wreath in memory of Britain's war dead.
Gen Richards, 58, told the paper: "Make no mistake, the global threat from al-Qeada and its terrorist affiliates is an enduring one and one which, if we let it, will rear its head in states, particularly those that are unstable. The national security of the UK, and our allies, is in my judgment, at stake."
He added: "In conventional war, defeat and victory is very clear cut and is symbolised by troops marching into another nation's capital. First of all you have to ask: do we need to defeat it (Islamist militancy) in the sense of a clear cut victory? I would argue that it is unnecessary and would never be achieved.
"But we can contain it to the point that our lives and our children's lives are led securely? I think we can."
Source - Yahoo News.
General Sir David Richards said the national security of Britain was still at stake, but the threat could be contained to allow Britons to lead secure lives.
In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, he also revealed that Prince William was unlikely to serve in Afghanistan, but suggested that Prince Harry could return to front-line duty in the campaign as a helicopter pilot.
The commander was speaking before the Remembrance Sunday ceremony in Whitehall, where he will lay a wreath in memory of Britain's war dead.
Gen Richards, 58, told the paper: "Make no mistake, the global threat from al-Qeada and its terrorist affiliates is an enduring one and one which, if we let it, will rear its head in states, particularly those that are unstable. The national security of the UK, and our allies, is in my judgment, at stake."
He added: "In conventional war, defeat and victory is very clear cut and is symbolised by troops marching into another nation's capital. First of all you have to ask: do we need to defeat it (Islamist militancy) in the sense of a clear cut victory? I would argue that it is unnecessary and would never be achieved.
"But we can contain it to the point that our lives and our children's lives are led securely? I think we can."
Source - Yahoo News.