Doubts about British involvement in Afghanistan

The death toll of British servicemen and women reached 204 over the weekend, headlines the Daily Telegraph, which depicts the total with a collage of the first 200 dead soldiers printed on its front page. This landmark coincides with the anouncement by the Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth that "British troops might scale down their operations as early as next year." The minister has been accused of "false optimism" as his comments are in stark

contrast to those of military leaders. Gen Sir David Richards, who is due to become leader of the army in two weeks, declared recently that the mission could last up to 30 or 40 years.

The Prime Minster and Defence Secretary also promised to tackle equipment shortages, particularly crucial with NATO on high alert in the run up to the Afghan elections on August 20. Calls for a review of Britain's policy in Afganistan have been rife as the 204 death-toll "could sow seeds of doubt" in the minds of the public, according to Col Richard Kemp, commander of British forces in Afghanistan between 2003 and 2004. However, according to a YouGov poll for Sky, three quarters of the public believe that the opposite is true, not enough is being done in Afghanistan.