UK 'ready to act' on Syria chemical weapons, says outgoing head of British Armed Forces General Sir David Richards says UK may have to go to war to tackle Assad Military chief says 'we'd have to act' if weapons fell into al-Qaeda hands The Chief of the Defence Staff retires today after 40 years in British Army Warns that Taliban will reclaim parts of Afghanistan after 2015 withdrawal Reveals rift with PM over Libya and slams Danny Alexander for 'feeble' jibes By Larisa Brown and Martin Robinson General Sir David Richards warned that the Government has to be prepared to go to war if it wants to limit the powers of the Assad regime Britain 'would have to act' to stop chemical weapons stockpiles in Syria falling into the hands of al-Qaeda terrorists, the outgoing head of the Armed Forces revealed today. One of these actions could be to implement a no-fly zone, but General Sir David Richards warned that the Government has to be prepared to go to war if it wants to limit the powers of the Assad regime. The Chief of the Defence Staff, who retires today, said: "If you wanted to have the material impact on the Syrian regime's calculations that some people seek, a no-fly zone per se is insufficient. You have to be able, as we did successfully in Libya, to hit ground targets... so you would be going to war if that is what you want to do. Sir David, 61, continued: "The risk of terrorism is becoming more and more dominant in our strategic vision for what we might do in Syria. If that risk develops, we would almost certainly have to act to mitigate it and we are ready to do so. I think it is a very big question. If we saw chemical weapons proliferate as a result of what is happening in Syria then we would have to act. Obviously we have contingency plans for everything. He said the Government needed to clarify its "political objective" in Syria before a military plan for dealing with Bashar al-Assad's regime could be recommended. In another chilling warning Sir David said that once Nato leave Afghanistan in 2015, outside the country's towns and cities 'we shouldn't be surprised if Taliban black flags fly', he said. He also revealed that there were disagreements between him and David Cameron over British airstrikes in Libya in 2011. In a stinging rebuke, General Richards added that Treasury Chief Secretary Danny Alexander was wrong to push for more cuts to the military, and accused him of making 'feeble' attempts to 'have a go at us'. This year the senior minister ridiculed the department for having "more horses than tanks." Shame: This photo by the official Syrian Araba News Agency (SANA) allegedly shows mortar shells and chemicals used as weapons A Syrian victim who suffered an alleged chemical attack at Khan al-Assal village receives treatment by doctors, and the head of the British armed forces said today that Britain should be prepared to step in Earlier this month David Cameron ditched plans to arm the Syrian rebels after being warned by military chiefs that there is little point sending small arms or ground-to-air missiles because it would make little difference to the outcome of the conflict unless he is prepared for all-out war with the Assad regime. Prime Minister David Cameron said Assad had 'blood on his hands' and insisted it was 'unthinkable' the dictator could play any part in the nation's future. In an interview with The Sun, Gen Richards said that British forces could also be sent to the country to prevent chemical weapons falling into the wrong hands. 'The risk of terrorism is becoming more and more dominant in our strategic vision for what we might do in Syria,' he told the paper. Prime Minister David Cameron said Assad had 'blood on his hands' and insisted it was 'unthinkable' the dictator could play any part in the nation's future He added: 'Some could characterise that, even though it might be for a limited period, as a war'. Last week British spy chiefs warned Syria's arsenal of chemical weapons could fall into the hands of al Qaida militants if Assad was toppled with potentially 'catastrophic' consequences. The parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC), which oversees the work of the intelligence agencies, said there was 'serious concern' about the security of the 'vast stockpiles' of chemical weapons amassed by the regime. General Richards steps down after a career of more than 40 years in the British Army. He was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1971 and served in Northern Ireland, Germany, East Timor, Sierra Leone and Afghanistan, where his role as head of the International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF) made him the first British general to command American troops since the Second World War.