The head of British forces warned Sunday against a premature increase in British troops in Afghanistan, saying that "the operational tempo" had to be reduced, according to DPA. Speaking to broadcaster BBC, Chief of the Defence Staff Jock Stirrup warned that British forces were being overstretched and that a radical increase in troops in Afghanistan was no "panacea." British Foreign Secretary David Miliband has meanwhile suggested a withdrawal of troops in Iraq planned for the coming spring, saying that British Prime Minister Gordon Brown had made it clear that there would be a "fundamental shift" in the relations to the Iraqi government at that time. At the same time, Miliband spoke of Britain's unwillingness to take on an "unfair burden," in response to US hopes of a greater British engagement in Afghanistan.
