Across the World: United Kingdom

Afghan war 'can't be won'

Britain's commander in Afghanistan has said the war against the Taliban cannot be won, the Sunday Times reported.

"We're not going to win this war. It's about reducing it to a manageable level of insurgency that's not a strategic threat and can be managed by the Afghan army," he said.

He said his forces had "taken the sting out of the Taliban for 2008" but that troops may well leave Afghanistan with there still being a low level of insurgency.

(China Daily 10/06/2008 page8)