Posted on 08/07/2008 8:51:06 PM PDT by Clive
British ready to boost Afghan deployment
Move would help Canadians stationed in south Afghanistan
British officials strongly hinted that they may increase troop numbers in Afghanistan, a move that would be a boon to Canadian forces in the region.
The British Defence Minister strongly hinted on Thursday that he was prepared to significantly boost the number of troops sent to Afghanistan to fight the Taliban.
British military officials are believed to have been in discussions about increasing the number of troops to 14,000 from 8,200 -- a move that would be good news for Canadian troops fighting the hard-line Islamic insurgents in the country's restive southern provinces, military analysts say.
Peter MacKay, the Canadian Defence Minister, said he would welcome any additional British forces in southern Afghanistan.
"Canada has been calling for and would welcome any additional allied troop commitments to support this UN-mandated, NATO-led mission," he told the National Post on Thursday.
A Canadian battle group has been based in Kandahar province, just to the east of the British forces in Helmand, since 2006, and has fought several pitched battles with Taliban fighters over the past two years.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalpost.com ...
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Excellent news and very bad for the Taliban.
God Bless both Britain and Canada for their courage and support of this important mission and of many others. But for them, there would be no NATO, just America, alone.
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