KABUL – British military chief was attacked by MPs for declaring “mission accomplished” in Afghanistan because local forces had been trained to take control of the country’s security.

Lieutenant General James Everard, said it was “job well done” ahead of thousands of British soldiers due to come home this year.

Tens of thousands of Afghan forces have been trained to maintain security in Helmand province alone, the Deputy Chief of Defense Staff (military strategy and operations) told members of the Commons defense committee.

“It is mission accomplished,” he said. “In terms of creating the security apparatus, I think that you can say that that has been largely completed, recognizing the shortfalls I have talked about and those areas which we will continue to have to polish. In terms of the security structures — job well done.”

But Tory MP James Gray said: “Are you just giving us the director of staff solution, it’s all going jolly well, please carry on sergeant-major?”

The North Wiltshire MP also accused Lt Gen Everard, Vincent Devine, director of operational policy at the Ministry of Defense and Neil Crompton, director for Afghanistan and South Asia at the Foreign Office, of suggesting the situation was “frightfully good, really outstanding, spiffing”.

On the “big lessons” from Afghanistan, Tory MP Adam Holloway, who served with the Grenadier Guards,  said: “Don’t they lie somewhere around massive over-optimism and lack of honesty by senior commanders, a mismatch from the beginning of ends, ways and means and not really understanding at all the political, social and tribal and economic context in which we were operating?” (Agencies)