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Former Afghanistan commander to be head of British armed forces

Other News Materials 14 July 2010 21:56 (UTC +04:00)
General David Richards, a former commander of international forces in Afghanistan, was Wednesday named as the new head of Britain's armed forces, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said,
Former Afghanistan commander to be head of British armed forces

General David Richards, a former commander of international forces in Afghanistan, was Wednesday named as the new head of Britain's armed forces, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said, dpa reported.

Richards, who is in his late 50s, will become Chief of the Defence Staff later this year, to succeed Air Chief Marshal Jock Stirrup who would be retiring early in October, the announcement said.

Richards is one of the most high-profile officers in the British army. Between May, 2006 and February, 2007, he was head of the International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.

In 2000, former prime minister Tony Blair despatched Richards to Sierra Leone, where his successful campaign against rebel forces led to a quick stabilization of the strife-torn west African country.

Richards, who describes himself as a "seat-of-the-pants soldier," said after his return from Afghanistan that the country and its people had "entered my bloodstream."

He said recently that negotiations with the Taliban would have to take place at some point.

"If you look at any counter-insurgency campaign throughout history there's always a point at which you start to negotiate with each other, probably through proxies in the first instance," he said in a BBC interview.

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