LONDON: British Defence Secretary John Hutton compared the Taliban and Al-Qaeda to the Nazis and said Western forces faced a long fight to defeat insurgents in Afghanistan, in an interview on Saturday.
Hutton told a British daily that troops in the violence-scarred country were defending British values in the same way they did in World War II.
"We know that we must tackle the threat at source, it is not just going to go away," he said.
"It is a struggle against fanatics that may not challenge our borders but challenge our way of life in the same way the Nazis did."
After Prime Minister Gordon Brown confirmed on Thursday that most British forces would pull out of Iraq by the end of July next year, Hutton said British soldiers would be in Afghanistan for the long haul.
His words hint at Britain's willingness to add more troops to its existing 8,000-strong contingent in Afghanistan, where fighting against a resurgent Taliban has cost the lives of 134 British servicemen.
British troops are mainly based in the southern province of Helmand, which has seen some of the worst Taliban attacks.
Hutton told a British daily that troops in the violence-scarred country were defending British values in the same way they did in World War II.
"We know that we must tackle the threat at source, it is not just going to go away," he said.
"It is a struggle against fanatics that may not challenge our borders but challenge our way of life in the same way the Nazis did."
After Prime Minister Gordon Brown confirmed on Thursday that most British forces would pull out of Iraq by the end of July next year, Hutton said British soldiers would be in Afghanistan for the long haul.
His words hint at Britain's willingness to add more troops to its existing 8,000-strong contingent in Afghanistan, where fighting against a resurgent Taliban has cost the lives of 134 British servicemen.
British troops are mainly based in the southern province of Helmand, which has seen some of the worst Taliban attacks.
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