"Evening, Sam." "Evening, Ralph."

British to assault Taliban stronghold

At least 1,000 soldiers will be deployed to help restore order across five of Afghanistan's most lawless provinces as part of an expansion of Nato operations. At the same time, Britain's commanding officer in Afghanistan admitted that it will be 'years', possibly 'a generation', before Britain will be able to leave the country.

In for the long haul. Trust the Poms to be a little more realistic in their statements.