UK's Afghan role greatly expanded

The Times (U.K.) ^ | 03/19/2002 | Michael Evans and David Charter

[Pokey78]

BRITAIN’S military role in Afghanistan is expanding to a Balkans-scale operation, with about 6,400 personnel from all three Services committed to offensive or peacekeeping tasks.

The announcement yesterday came one month after Geoff Hoon, the Defence Secretary, agreed that the Services were stretched to the limit. It will ensure that British troops will be operating in a peacekeeping or fighting role until at least July.

Britain’s membership of the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) was supposed to be completed by the end of April, but is now to continue until the end of June, with the 1st Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment in the process of replacing the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment in Kabul.

Tony Blair said from the start that Britain was prepared to provide a substantial force for Afghanistan, and last October it was announced that about 6,000 troops were on short-notice standby to fly to the region to prevent anarchy in Kabul as the Northern Alliance advanced to within a few miles of the capital.

The offer from Britain was never taken up, largely because the arrival of Northern Alliance troops in Kabul did not lead to the expected bloodbath. The ruling Taleban left in disarray and headed for Kandahar, their spiritual home. The British troops on 48-hour notice to move were stood down. However, the offer underlined the commitment the Government was prepared to make, and now the scale of Forces the Prime Minister had in mind back in October is to be a reality.

There are now 4,660 British Service personnel committed either to Operation Veritas, the codename for the war against terrorism in Afghanistan, or to Operation Fingal, the mission name for Britain’s Isaf contribution, which involves 1,600 men and women.

The overall commitment includes 2,100 personnel serving with the British amphibious task group in the Indian Ocean on board HMS Ocean, the helicopter carrier, HMS York, a Type 42 destroyer, and HMS Campbeltown, a Type 22 frigate. HMS Splendid, a nuclear-powered submarine, is also in the Indian Ocean.

The aim of the new deployment, codenamed Operation Jacana (a small tropical wading bird with large feet), is to provide a composite battle group, consisting of the whole of 45 Commando Royal Marines, which will slot into a US-commanded brigade that will also have a battalion of Canadian light infantry.

Although 45 Commando has been assigned to Operation Veritas since taking over the role from 40 Commando this month, this will be the first time that a complete Commando has been given a war-fighting task. Previously one company of 40 Commando embarked in HMS Illustrious, the carrier now returning to Portsmouth, and the remainder stayed at their home base on high readiness to join them.

The role of 40 Commando, however, never progressed beyond providing security at Bagram airfield, north of Kabul. An element of 40 Commando is still there. Only Britain’s SAS and Special Boat Service from the Royal Marines had an offensive role, and continue to do so. The battle group based around 45 Commando, will also consist of 7 Battery 29 Commando Regiment, Royal Artillery, equipped with six 105mm light guns, already embarked in HMS Ocean, 59 Independent Commando Squadron, Royal Engineers, from Chivenor in Devon, and elements of the Commando Logistics Regiment, also from Chivenor. They will be supported by five RAF Chinook helicopters, three of them sent out from 27 Squadron, based at Odiham in Hampshire.

Bernard Jenkin, the Shadow Defence Secretary, said that Mr Hoon’s statement was the most significant by any minister since September 11 because British troops were being sent to where US and German forces had already died. He said that the Tories unequivocally supported the decision to send 45 Commando. “It is entirely appropriate that we should be prepared and proud to make this commitment,” he said.

He wanted assurances that there was a clear chain of command, and Mr Hoon said that Brigadier Roger Lane, commander of 3 Commando Brigade, and his headquarters will move to Bagram to work alongside the Americans, separate from the Isaf leadership.

Paul Keetch, the Liberal Democrat defence spokesman, asked how long 45 Commando would stay and what assurances Mr Hoon had received that the US would remain committed on the ground until the terrorist threat was over.

Mr Hoon said he could not give a specific timetable, adding: “It will depend on what is found once these forces are deployed on to the ground, the kind of resistance they meet, the kind of operations they will have to conduct.”

[Free the USA]

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