Richards warns of winter dangers in Afghanistan

British commander General David Richards, Nato’s top commander in Afghanistan, said today the country was at a crucial point – and warned Afghans would probably switch their allegiance to resurgent Taliban militants if there were no visible improvements in people’s lives in the next six months.

Gen Richards, who commands Nato’s 32,000 troops in Afghanistan, said of the local population: “They will say,:’We do not want the Taliban but then we would rather have that austere and unpleasant life that that might involve than another five years of fighting’.”