BBC whips up local hostility in Helmand says Browne

Grey haired, whey faced mumbling Des Browne, described as the Minister of Defence, told the Commons Defence Select Committee that an interview with a Taliban commander broadcast on BBC news bulletins, allowed the militants to misrepresent Britain's mission and whip up local hostility in the war-torn Helmand province. Pic is of the offending Talabani "war lord" taken on 10th June at 10.02 BST of BBC 1 TV News (by Lord Patel's vigilant staff) with prominent BBC microphone.

'It is careless with the lives of our soldiers to sow confusion where no confusion exists.' says Browne mysteriously. Confuses me anyway.

No figures are available of the number of Taliban who can catch the BBC news in the caves in Tora Bora - the MoD claim the Taliban in Afghanistan monitors British news media on the Internet, and uses material for their own 'highly effective' propaganda efforts.

A spokesman claimed a Taliban statement at the weekend (where, time unstated) warning Britain not to send reinforcements - reflecting Press guesses the UK media last week - also claiming (like they do) that 80 to 100 UK troops have been killed in recent weeks.

Fortunately we have people at the top of the BBC making decisions who are paid 4 times as much as Des Browne - so they must be right, even though , unlike Des they haven't been there, met the troops on the ground and travelled in one of the few working helicopters,(the US lost a US$6 Mn. Chinook to ground fire yesterday - good news is they will be able to cannibalise it for spares, which they are short of.)

Meanwhile over there, Rummy Rumsfeld is (like the Stones) on tour seeing the 23,000 US troops .. Lt. Gen. Carl Eikenberry, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, says, " that for now, the Taliban is back, and in some respects, bigger than ever."“The Taliban is more organized than they were last year,” Eikenberry says. “And they have more fighters in certain areas." Talk about sowing confusion where no confusion exists ....

Retired U.S. Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey, an NBC military analyst, thinks a lot of drug money is flowing into the Taliban.

“We're seeing among the Taliban now shiny new weapons,” McCaffrey says. “Commercial camping gear, civilian-purchased communications equipment.”

Between gigs on the tour, Rummy reflects .." the Taliban will be defeated - There isn't any reason in the world why this country can’t succeed", at what and by when he refused to say.

I wonder what odds Betfair have on the Taliban winning in extra time ?

Don't get me wrong, I kinda like Des, he's evidently in a job, way out of his depth, has no comprehension of the tasks involved and is trying to play a straight bat in the nest of vipers that the House of Commons has now become. Bring back John "The Hammer of the Taliban" Reid, with all his Glasgow steet fighting skills.