"A former head of MI6 launched an attack on the government last night for under-financing and mishandling the military campaign in Afghanistan.

"Sir Richard Dearlove, who was chief of the Secret Intelligence Service when British troops were sent into Afghanistan in 2001, said the Treasury had squeezed the defence budget over the following years.

"The government had failed to properly explain to the public why Britain was at war, he argued, and had until recently given only "half-hearted" endorsement to its Afghanistan strategy."

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