LONDON, Jan 20: Britain’s Defence Secretary John Hutton said on Tuesday that relentless army deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq were putting ‘very substantial strain’ on British forces, including soldiers’ marriages.

Hutton said he accepted the views of army chief General Sir Richard Dannatt, who said army marriages were feeling the strain of spouses only being home for a short time before redeployment, as the ‘undermanned’ British army fights on two fronts.

“I agree with what the general has said,” he told BBC radio from the troubled southern Helmand province of Afghanistan, where the majority of Britain’s 8,300 troops in the country are based, fighting Taliban insurgents.

“I think we have accepted that the strain of mounting two major operations -- one in Iraq and one in Afghanistan is creating very substantial strain and stress on our military forces.” Britain has 4,100 troops based in southern Iraq, but they are due to return home by July 31.

“The drawdown in Iraq... will give us an opportunity to take stock, to refresh and renew ourselves,” Hutton said.—AFP