Tony Blair Scrambles To Reconcile Army Chief's Comments: Our Presence Exacerbates Violence...

Times Of London Devika Bhat and Sam Knight October 13, 2006 08:59 PM

Tony Blair tried his best tonight to play down differences between the Government and the Army, despite the candid views of the Chief of the General Staff, who said that Britain should withdraw from Iraq soon.

In interviews with The Daily Mail and the BBC, General Sir Richard Dannatt said that the presence of British soldiers in Iraq was exacerbating the violence there and that a prolonged stay in the country could "break" the armed forces. He expressed more optimism about the British mission in Afghanistan.

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