KABUL (PAN): The new commander of the British army is confident the United Kingdom and its allies can the war against Taliban and al-Qaeda militants in Afghanistan, currently in the thick of a presidential election gridlock.

"I am clear about why British soldiers are fighting, and sometimes dying, in Afghanistan. It is to protect this country's security and our involvement is non-discretionary," argued General David Richards.

In a letter to The Telegraph, he wrote it was not a coincidence that, since the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force mission began, al-Qaeda had been unable to orchestrate any further atrocities against the West from within Afghanistan's borders.

Gen. Richards, who assumed the top British army position earlier this month, pointed out: "That is because of the efforts of British soldiers, their international allies, and the many brave Afghans who fight alongside them."

However, the general explained the anti-terrorist campaign remained winnable and "we, and our Afghan and international partners, have the strategy and resolve to see it through."

Afghanistan, one of the most impoverished and least developed countries in the world, might need some form of international help for far longer even when adequate security levels had been attained, he added.

He went on to warn against overlooking the impact of failure on the stability of the South Asian region. In particular, the general continued, there would be a grave threat to the security of nuclear-capable Pakistan.

Richards believed Britain should not allow its security policy to be driven by opinion polls. He said there were other parts around the globe that present potential threats, which were dealt with in different ways. "It is wrong to suggest that, because we do not have forces in all of them, we should withdraw from Afghanistan."

Military success would be achieved when the Afghans could take on the Taliban without international help, he wrote, stressing Britain had to do better to convince its public about the need for a military presence.

PAN Monitor/mud