Hoon rallies to aid of Marine leader The Guardian
May 20, 2002
Nicholas Watt and Richard Norton TaylorGeoff Hoon, the defence secretary, yesterday rallied to the defence of the Royal Marines commander in Afghanistan, amid claims that he had lost control of the British operation against al-Qaida and the Taliban.
Angered by defence officials, who voiced doubts about Brigadier Roger Lane in public over the weekend, Mr Hoon dismissed the criticism as nonsense.
"I have every confidence in Brigadier Lane," the defence secretary told BBC1's Breakfast with Frost. "He's doing a tremendous job in very difficult conditions and he deserves and gets our complete support."
However, doubts about about Brig Lane were intensified last night when it was confirmed that he is to be moved onto other duties.
No date has been set for his transfer, although it is expected that he will be moved on when the marines return to Britain, possibly in early July.
Defence sources stressed last night that Brig Lane had always planned to move on as head of 3 Commando Brigade, which is spearheading the operation against al-Qaida and the Taliban from Bagram air base.
But the disclosure that Brig Lane is to move on will fuel speculation that he has fallen out with the Ministry of Defence. There was anger in London last week when MoD officials were forced to contradict claims that the Royal Marines were engaged in a major fire fight against al-Qaida and the Taliban.
Officials believe he has over-hyped the success of his mission in an attempt to maintain the morale of his troops and to satisfy the "bloodthirsty" media.
The mistakes singled out for criticisms include:
· Claiming on Friday that British forces had come under intense fire from al-Qaida and the Taliban when they were rushed to defend Australian SAS forces. "We can confirm that the coalition has made contact with the enemy and some have been killed." His claims were contradicted by the MoD.
· An alleged failure to inform General Tommy Franks, head of the US military, about Operation Condor, the Royal Marines' latest mission in Afghanistan. The general is believed to have found out about the operation from CNN.
· Wrongly claiming earlier this month that the war in Afghanistan would be over in a few weeks, a view directly contradicted by US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld.
· Over-hyping the success of Operation Snipe, which was described as the largest British offensive operation since the Gulf War.
One unnamed MoD official claimed Brig Lane's performance was sapping the morale of his troops. "Brig Lane is out of his depth and should be sacked," the official told the Sunday Telegraph. "The marines have a morale problem and the only way to get rid of it is to get rid of the man at the top."
Mr Hoon did offer support for Brig Lane in one area. Relations with the media at Bagram air base were stretched near to breaking point last week when Brig Lane said Operation Snipe should be considered a success even though no members of al-Qaida or the Taliban were identified. Mr Hoon said it was"encouraging" because the marines had denied space to al-Qaida and the Taliban.
"They are not standing and fighting although in the past they have done that, and it's right that we should use whatever force is appropriate to make sure they cannot provide a threat to Afghanistan and to the wider world."
Bernard Jenkin, the shadow defence secretary, blamed government hype for undermining the achievements of the marines.
"It is a pity government spin is now detracting from the success of British military operations," he said.
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