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'British army chief attacks US as 'intellectually bankrupt' over Iraq
Peter Richards The Guardian

The former head of the British Army has attacked US postwar policy, calling it "intellectually bankrupt".
General Sir Mike Jackson, who headed the army during the war in Iraq, described as "nonsensical" the claim by the former US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld that US forces "don't do nation-building". He has also hit back at suggestions that British forces had failed in Basra.
Mr Rumsfeld was "one of the most responsible for the current situation in Iraq," Gen Jackson says in his autobiography, Soldier. He describes Washington's approach to fighting global terrorism as "inadequate" for relying on military power over diplomacy and nation-building.
Last week General Jack Keane, a US commander just returned from Iraq, said the security situation in southern Iraq was "deteriorating" and there was "general disengagement" by the British military in Basra. But Gen Jackson told the Daily Telegraph, which is serialising his book: "I don't think that's a fair assessment.'

Lees verder: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2160384,00.html


En de BBC bericht:

'Fresh UK attack on US Iraq policy
A second key British general has criticised US post-war policy in Iraq.
Maj Gen Tim Cross, who was the most senior UK officer involved in post-war planning, told the Sunday Mirror US policy was "fatally flawed".
Maj Gen Cross said: "We were all very concerned about the lack of detail that had gone into the post-war plan."
His comments came after Gen Sir Mike Jackson, head of the Army during the invasion, told the Daily Telegraph US policy was "intellectually bankrupt".
The Ministry of Defence played down the comments by Sir Mike, now retired, saying he was entitled to express his opinion on his former job.
'Lack of detail'
In an interview published on Saturday, Sir Mike said a claim by the then US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld that US forces "don't do nation-building" was "nonsensical".'

Lees verder: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6974611.stm