In less than a year Afghanistan will become Britain’s sole long-term combat operation. Whatever history’s verdict on Iraq, the British Armed Forces’ view is that the six-year campaign has resulted in a dramatic change for the better for the Iraqi people.

Afghanistan is another question. With 8,000 troops operating in the Taleban-rich southern province of Helmand, has Britain learnt the lessons of Iraq and can the insurgency be defeated?

The dilemma for the British is that the overall campaign, involving the Americans and about 40 other nations, lacks coherence. There are too many forces operating under different commands and working towards different goals. The Americans are now planning to put a single US commander, General David McKiernan, in charge of Nato’s International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) – 45,000 troops, including 15,000 American personnel – and the US Combined Joint Task Force 101, part of Operation Enduring Freedom, which handles security and reconstruction in eastern Afghanistan (19,000 US troops). America’s counter-terrorist special operations will remain outside General McKiernan’s remit.

The variety of commands has driven British commanders to distraction, especially as Iraq proved that when a single military chief is put in total charge – particularly someone of the calibre of General David Petraeus or his predecessor, General George Casey – the prospects for a successful campaign are that much greater.

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