Posted on 01/26/2006 6:24:27 AM PST by albionvectis
The number of UK troops in Afghanistan will increase by nearly 5,000, the Defence Secretary John Reid has said. The £1 billion deployment will push the total number of troops there by July to a peak of 5,700, he told the Commons.
Mr Reid said the "potent force", which will include attack helicopters, would be there to "protect and deter".
The majority will be sent to the south, to the volatile Helmand area, which Mr Reid acknowledged was a "more demanding area" than others in Afghanistan.
Heroin
The deployment will take place over three years, with the total number of troops expected to drop back to under 4,700, he told MPs.
Where are UK troops? Afghan deployment signals Nato push
Mr Reid said he made "no apology" for sending more troops than previously expected.
"The size and structure of the task-force has been guided by a careful assessment of the likely tasks and threats it will face.
"What matters is that we put the right forces in to do the job and to do it safely and to do it well. And I make no apology for that if that has required more soldiers than some people initially envisaged," he told MPs.
He said it was not a "counter terrorism" mission but the additional support would help prevent Afghanistan from "falling back into the clutches of the Taleban". The operation would also help the country tackle its trade in opium - the raw material for heroin, he said.
'Cannot fail'
Shadow foreign secretary Liam Fox said his party would hold the government to account on the deployment.
EXTRA TROOPS 1,000 - to support HQ of Allied Rapid Reaction Corps 850 - (including engineers and marines) to prepare for main deployment 3,300 - main troop deployment
"We cannot act and fail," he said.
The initial deployment would be 1,000 troops to the Headquarters Group of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, with the main deployment of 3,300 heading to the south, including a Provincial Construction team.
Explaining the decision, Mr Reid said: "We cannot risk losing those achievements. We can't risk Afghanistan once again becoming a sanctuary for terrorists, we have seen where that leads be it in New York or here in London."
In May the UK takes control of Nato forces in Afghanistan, with soldiers due to oversee reconstruction efforts.
There are currently about 850 British troops operating in Afghanistan.
BBC defence correspondent Paul Wood said the deployment had been described as the most ambitious and challenging mission yet undertaken by Nato.
The Taleban, adopting suicide bombings as a means of attack, are very active in Helmand province, which is also a big opium-growing region.
Nato's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission currently numbers about 9,200 troops. It is expected to increase the overall number to about 15,000.
Mr Reid said it was hoped other countries - including Australia, New Zealand and Holland would also send troops to strengthen the Isaf.
Excellent news, and with a refreshing lack of hand wringing from the usual corners.
The deployment will include a 'significant' force of the British-built variant of the Apache Longbow attack helicopter to provide air support not only to the new troops, but to the existing SAS units working in deep cover roles within taleban groups.
Thank you for the welcome.
There are only two significant, free and professional armies left in the world, so they might as well fight side by side!
Id add the Aussies and Kiwis to that...small but punhc well above their weight
Oh and those Jewish chappies surrounded by all those Arabs lol
Id add the Aussies and Kiwis to that...small but punch well above their weight
Oh and those Jewish chappies surrounded by all those Arabs lol
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