Posted on 11/16/2001 1:08:35 PM PST by GeekDejure
London (CNSNews.com) - U.K. military officials put thousands of troops on a high state of alert Wednesday in case they are needed to assist in humanitarian or peacekeeping missions in Northern Alliance-held areas of Afghanistan.
A Ministry of Defense spokesman said that the number of troops put on alert was in the "low thousands," but he declined to be more specific. "There has not been a decision on deployment, but we've put troops on alert because of the rapidly developing situation on the ground," the spokesman said by phone.
No specific missions have yet been outlined, but a Ministry of Defense news release accompanying the announcement hinted that the troops would be used as strictly as a peacekeeping or stabilization force. "There is no intention to deploy these forces in offensive operations against the Taliban," the release said.
"The forces could be used in a number of tasks, including assisting United Nations aid and supply operations," the defense spokesman said. The forces will join 200 U.K. commandos and more than 4,000 support staff already aboard ships in the region. Included in the latest batch of troops put on 48-hour notice are Royal Marine Commando units, an Air Assault Brigade, a parachute regiment and a range of support staff, including air transport, support helicopters, engineers, logistics teams and unexploded ordnance removal experts.
"These are the high readiness units of the Royal Marines and the Army," said Ian Kemp, editor of Jane's World Armies. "They're light infantry and can be deployed rapidly by air."
"Support helicopters are critical to the operations, particularly because the infantry units will not have their own vehicles," Kemp said. "Engineers and logistical teams will roads and bridges and so forth. The unexploded ordnance units may initially be used to clear the ground of landmines for peacekeeping units, and might also be expected to clean up after the U.S. bombing campaign."
While speculating on how the forces might be used in Afghanistan, Kemp noted that the military has not yet set parameters for the use of U.K. troops. "A big question is: what is the mission going to be?" he said. "It's difficult to judge exactly what (the troops) will be doing until we have seen the mission plans."
UN Mandate Likely
The potential deployments point to an increasing eagerness on the part of the anti-terror coalition to put a multi-national peacekeeping force - most likely under a U.N. mandate - on the ground in Afghanistan as soon as possible. Europe could play a major role -- even a leading role -- in such a force.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Tony Blair spoke via phone with United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, the prime minister's official spokesman said. The two discussed humanitarian issues and the work towards establishing a post-Taliban government in Afghanistan.
Kemp noted that other European countries have also committed troops to potential operations in Afghanistan. Italy has decided to send 2,700 troops to the region. On Friday, the German parliament will vote on a contribution of nearly 4,000 troops to the Afghanistan effort. That ballot will be tied to a confidence measure, which, if it fails, could mean the end of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's center-left coalition government.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.