British general says Russia is a bigger threat than IS
The British Army chief believes that the country's national security is more threatened by Russia than by Islamist terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda and IS.
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British Army Commander Mark Carleton-Smith. Photo:Times. |
"Russia has embarked on a systematic effort to probe and exploit Western vulnerabilities, particularly in some non-traditional areas such as cyber, space, undersea warfare," British Army Chief Mark Carleton-Smith said in an interview withTelegraphToday.
This is the first time Mr. Smith has given an interview since his appointment in June. "There is no denying that Russia is now a greater threat than Islamist terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda and the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS). We cannot be complacent about the threat that Russia poses," the British general stressed.
Relations between Russia and Europe have deteriorated following the Ukraine crisis and Moscow's annexation of Crimea. Britain has also accused Russia of being behind the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury in March and a number of cyber attacks.
Russia has repeatedly denied involvement in the Skripal poisoning and called UK cyber-attack allegations "a rich fantasy".
Mr Smith, 54, is a former commander of the British Army's Special Air Service (SAS). He led the hunt for Osama bin Laden after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US and commanded British forces in the campaign against IS in Iraq and Syria.
