Francis Elliott
London
Independent
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Tony Blair is today accused of "disgraceful hand-washing"
in Iraq by a former British Army chief, the latest attack on the
Government by an increasingly outspoken military.
General Sir Michael Rose, the former commander of British troops
in Bosnia, accuses the Prime Minister of putting British soldiers
at "considerable and quite unnecessary risk" in Iraq,
in an article for today's Independent on Sunday.
His remarks follow those of the Chief of the General Staff, General
Sir Richard Dannatt, and of the Army's commander in Iraq, Major
General Richard Shirreff.
Maj-Gen Shirreff said on Wednesday that a "generation of
underfunding and neglect in political terms" was undermining
soldiers' capacity to protect themselves. His remarks follow those
of General Dannatt's pledge to "stand up for what is right"
for the troops.
In his article, Sir Michael says it is "tremendously heartening"
for soldiers to see their "present bosses standing up for
them".
The former commander goes far further than his still-serving
colleagues, in voicing in public views that he says are now almost
universal in all ranks.
"In return for being prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice,
our servicemen and women should expect to be better supported
by the country than they have been," he writes.
Although overall defence spending has increased over recent years,
Sir Michael says Tony Blair has presided over a reduction in troop
numbers just as they are needed to fight the insurgencies.
He says the British PM and US President are trying to "evade
responsibility" for the state of Iraq. "They tell us
it is the Iraqi government that runs the country. This is disgraceful
hand-washing. They know, under the Geneva Conventions, they were
responsible for the disastrous breakdown of law and order in the
country they invaded."
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