A general who is said to favour sending many more troops to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan was named as the new head of the British Army on Friday. The appointment of General David Richards, a former commander of the Nato force in Afghanistan, is part of a sweeping shake-up of Britain's military top brass announced by the government on Friday.
Richards, currently commander-in-chief of land forces, will take over from General Richard Dannatt as chief of the general staff in August next year. The Independent newspaper reported that Richards believed 30,000 more troops were needed in Afghanistan, where there has been a resurgence of violence in the past year.