British military chiefs' advice on wars in Iraq, Afghanistan ignored: report

Britain's most senior military chiefs' advice not to commit British troops to "a war on two fronts" in Iraq and Afghanistan nearly 18 months ago was ignored by then Defense Secretary John Reid, according to a report by The Independent on Sunday.

Despite clear advice that a "significant" withdrawal of troops from Iraq was needed before a new mission in Afghanistan, Reid went ahead with the Afghan deployment after coming under pressure from Prime Minister Tony Blair, the Independent reported.

The advice, prepared by military planners and endorsed by the Chiefs of the Defence Staff, was given to Reid on his inauguration as Defense Secretary last year, it said. Despite the warnings, Reid went ahead with the deployment in Afghanistan in January this year.

On the eve of the fifth anniversary of the war in Afghanistan on Saturday, stark new evidence of the suffering being endured by the British troops on the ground emerged in a series of leaked e-mails published in British newspapers.

Britain has nearly 5,000 troops stationed in Afghanistan and 900 more on the way. Around 7,500 British troops are serving in Iraq.

Source: Xinhua