By Sophie Borland
02nd August 2008
British Muslims are fighting for the Taliban in Afghanistan, a former commander of UK forces has warned.
Brigadier Ed Butler, who spent six months leading servicemen in the Helmand province, said he has seen evidence that Muslims born in the UK are aiding Taliban and Al Qaeda attacks on coalition troops.
'There are British passport holders who live in the UK who are being found in places like Kandahar,' said the brigadier, Commander of Joint Force Operations.
Terror groups in southern Afghanistan are also plotting with British extremists to carry out attacks in the UK, he added.
'There is a link between Kandahar and urban conurbations in the UK. This is something the military understands but the British public does not.'
The warning from the brigadier, 46, supports evidence earlier this year that RAF Nimrod spyplanes monitoring Taliban radio signals in Afghanistan had heard militants speaking with Yorkshire and Midlands accents.
They spoke mainly in Afghan Persian or Pashto, but occasionally lapsed into English.
In 2006, Brigadier Butler warned the Government of the possibility British soldiers would end up killing British Muslims fighting with the Taliban and Al Qaeda.
He told The Daily Telegraph that British forces had been surprised at the strength of the Taliban.
The Army knew they 'would be up for a fight, but we were surprised at how ferocious that fight turned out to be'.
Brigadier Butler, who is married with two children, believes that the presence of extremist British Muslims in southern Afghanistan is one of the reasons-British forces must remain there.
'If we do not win against the protagonists of the September 11 attacks, then those who are against us will take great succour from it.'
It is vital for British troops to remain in Afghanistan 'for as long as it takes', to prevent a repeat of the July 7 bombings in London, in 2005, he added.
Brigadier Butler commanded the British forces in Helmand when they were first deployed.
He described the operation as the 'most challenging mission I have ever done in my career'.
The brigadier is the grandson of Richard 'Rab' Butler, the former Conservative minister. A former head of the SAS, he has received awards including Distinguished Service Order and a CBE.
But he is to retire from the Army next year, in part because of the impact his career was having on his family life. Last year, his son, 14, developed complications from appendicitis and was, for a time, very ill.
'It was one of those wake-up calls you get where you think, "have I got the right balance between work and family?"'
When his son told him, 'I don't want you to be a part-time dad', he 'reached the conclusion that I did not want to leave my family any more for an extended period. Life is too short.'
He also spoke of the burden that modern combat operations place on officers. 'I buried eight of my soldiers when I was a commanding officer, and I have no pride in saying that.
'When you have sat down in the front rooms of eight families to console them on their loss, it is an exhausting process.'
Source: Daily Mail UK
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