蜜芽传媒

Nato's former top commander in Afghanistan has told the Today programme that the US and allies must be "very careful" in reducing the troop numbers in the country.

General John Allen told presenter John Humphrys that Nato and the US should consider offering close air support to the Afghan army and maintain troop numbers for some time to come.

On the war in Syria, he said it would not be "easy or quick" to defeat so-called Islamic State.

"We have to have a political transition" in Syria, he said, but that would not require chaotic regime change.