Conservative leader and likely future British Prime Minister David Cameron has visited the British Army in Afghanistan. Mr Cameron said he had found morale at the massive airbase of Kandahar "incredibly high"
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Cameron praises troops during surprise visit to Afghanistan
24th July 2006
David Cameron greets troops after arriving in Afghanistan
Conservative leader David Cameron was today briefed by senior military commanders as he paid a surprise visit to British troops in Afghanistan.
Mr Cameron said he had found morale at the massive airbase of Kandahar "incredibly high" and commanders happy with the level of manpower and logistical support that they are receiving from the Government.
British troops were doing a vital job giving Afghanistan the possibility of a democratic future and preventing it from sliding back into being a failed state which supports terrorism, he said.
The arrival of Mr Cameron and shadow defence secretary Liam Fox at the former Taliban stronghold on board a Ministry of Defence jet took place in conditions of strict secrecy for security reasons. The camp has been the target for regular rocket attacks in recent weeks, though few have done any significant damage.
Donning a flak jacket for the steep descent into the airbase, he said his first visit to troops serving overseas since becoming Tory leader would be devoted to "listening, learning and showing our support for what is being done".
Accompanying him was Brigadier Ed Butler, the commander of the 5,000-strong British forces in Afghanistan, who acknowledged that UK troops had faced "persistent and ferocious" attacks from supporters of the former Taliban regime in the southern province of Helmand.
But he said that the "tip of the spike of that enemy activity" had now been reached and that the level of violence - which has seen six British deaths in the past two months - would begin to tail off within weeks or months.
Brig Butler confirmed that military top brass were planning to "rebalance" their deployment in Helmand, but declined to confirm reports suggesting that they want to pull back detachments from the more remote outposts in the north of the province where they have come under fiercest attack.
Mr Cameron was briefed by the senior RAF officer at Kandahar, Group Captain Mike Roberts, the commanding officer of the Joint Helicopter Force Lt-Col Richard Felton and Royal Navy Captain Malcolm Smith, as well as the Canadian Brigade Commander for southern Afghanistan - including Kandahar and Helmand - Brigadier-General David Fraser.
He also chatted with logistical teams and aircrew operating Apache helicopter gunships, Harrier GR7 fighter jets and Hercules C130 transport craft from the base.
Today's fact-finding mission follows Defence Secretary Des(erter) Browne's July 10 announcement of 900 additional personnel for southern Afghanistan, and foremost in discussions was the question of whether troops in theatre are getting the support they need from the Government in London.
"Obviously, it is one of the questions that we have been asking the commanders and some of the troops as well, whether they have got the equipment they need, whether they have got the resources they need, whether they are able to do their job," said Mr Cameron.
"We were asking the question to all the commanders. They seem to be happy with what they get. Obviously, a lot of them would say 'we could always use more' but I think they are communicating that effectively to the British Government. It's a question we keep asking and keep probing as a responsible opposition."
Criticism
Recent setbacks in Helmand have led to criticism from some quarters that the British-led Nato team was sent to the province without the numbers needed to impose security and allow reconstruction work to begin.
But Mr Cameron has been careful to remain supportive of the mission, and today stressed that he wanted to demonstrate that there was "cross-party consensus" behind the work of the armed forces in Afghanistan.
"What I have seen is some incredibly professional men and women who are doing a brilliant job for our country," he said, addressing reporters under the blazing sun.
"The reason I'm here is to show that there is cross-party support for what our troops are doing in Afghanistan. It is very difficult work and it is important work. It is essential that this country is not allowed to slide back into being a state that supports terrorism.
"There is a danger that could happen. I think we have got to stop that happening and we have got to help rebuild it."
Brig Butler rejected suggestions that Britain had underestimated the scale of resistance it would face when troops moved into Helmand earlier this year.
"We fully expected the Taliban to have a resurgence of the violence which we are seeing," he said.
"I sense that we are at the tip of that spike of enemy activity. They are certainly very persistent and ferocious in their attacks, but I also think that it will only be a matter of weeks or maybe months before those levels attacks will start to tail off."
He confirmed that a rebalancing of troop deployments was being considered at the highest levels: "We are at the stage of the campaign where we have achieved what we call the 'break in battle'.
"We have established our forces within Helmand province, we have got a lay-down which was very much predicated by the fixed locations we had to go into, the operational environment and the question of where the Afghan Government wanted us to go.
"We are now in a period of consolidation. We are looking at how we best rebalance the force for both the medium and long term. It's rebalancing options that we are looking at."
Brig Butler said it would be "premature" for him to say what the results of the discussions would be.
dailymail.co.uk
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Cameron praises troops during surprise visit to Afghanistan
24th July 2006
David Cameron greets troops after arriving in Afghanistan
Conservative leader David Cameron was today briefed by senior military commanders as he paid a surprise visit to British troops in Afghanistan.
Mr Cameron said he had found morale at the massive airbase of Kandahar "incredibly high" and commanders happy with the level of manpower and logistical support that they are receiving from the Government.
British troops were doing a vital job giving Afghanistan the possibility of a democratic future and preventing it from sliding back into being a failed state which supports terrorism, he said.
The arrival of Mr Cameron and shadow defence secretary Liam Fox at the former Taliban stronghold on board a Ministry of Defence jet took place in conditions of strict secrecy for security reasons. The camp has been the target for regular rocket attacks in recent weeks, though few have done any significant damage.
Donning a flak jacket for the steep descent into the airbase, he said his first visit to troops serving overseas since becoming Tory leader would be devoted to "listening, learning and showing our support for what is being done".
Accompanying him was Brigadier Ed Butler, the commander of the 5,000-strong British forces in Afghanistan, who acknowledged that UK troops had faced "persistent and ferocious" attacks from supporters of the former Taliban regime in the southern province of Helmand.
But he said that the "tip of the spike of that enemy activity" had now been reached and that the level of violence - which has seen six British deaths in the past two months - would begin to tail off within weeks or months.
Brig Butler confirmed that military top brass were planning to "rebalance" their deployment in Helmand, but declined to confirm reports suggesting that they want to pull back detachments from the more remote outposts in the north of the province where they have come under fiercest attack.
Mr Cameron was briefed by the senior RAF officer at Kandahar, Group Captain Mike Roberts, the commanding officer of the Joint Helicopter Force Lt-Col Richard Felton and Royal Navy Captain Malcolm Smith, as well as the Canadian Brigade Commander for southern Afghanistan - including Kandahar and Helmand - Brigadier-General David Fraser.
He also chatted with logistical teams and aircrew operating Apache helicopter gunships, Harrier GR7 fighter jets and Hercules C130 transport craft from the base.
Today's fact-finding mission follows Defence Secretary Des(erter) Browne's July 10 announcement of 900 additional personnel for southern Afghanistan, and foremost in discussions was the question of whether troops in theatre are getting the support they need from the Government in London.
"Obviously, it is one of the questions that we have been asking the commanders and some of the troops as well, whether they have got the equipment they need, whether they have got the resources they need, whether they are able to do their job," said Mr Cameron.
"We were asking the question to all the commanders. They seem to be happy with what they get. Obviously, a lot of them would say 'we could always use more' but I think they are communicating that effectively to the British Government. It's a question we keep asking and keep probing as a responsible opposition."
Criticism
Recent setbacks in Helmand have led to criticism from some quarters that the British-led Nato team was sent to the province without the numbers needed to impose security and allow reconstruction work to begin.
But Mr Cameron has been careful to remain supportive of the mission, and today stressed that he wanted to demonstrate that there was "cross-party consensus" behind the work of the armed forces in Afghanistan.
"What I have seen is some incredibly professional men and women who are doing a brilliant job for our country," he said, addressing reporters under the blazing sun.
"The reason I'm here is to show that there is cross-party support for what our troops are doing in Afghanistan. It is very difficult work and it is important work. It is essential that this country is not allowed to slide back into being a state that supports terrorism.
"There is a danger that could happen. I think we have got to stop that happening and we have got to help rebuild it."
Brig Butler rejected suggestions that Britain had underestimated the scale of resistance it would face when troops moved into Helmand earlier this year.
"We fully expected the Taliban to have a resurgence of the violence which we are seeing," he said.
"I sense that we are at the tip of that spike of enemy activity. They are certainly very persistent and ferocious in their attacks, but I also think that it will only be a matter of weeks or maybe months before those levels attacks will start to tail off."
He confirmed that a rebalancing of troop deployments was being considered at the highest levels: "We are at the stage of the campaign where we have achieved what we call the 'break in battle'.
"We have established our forces within Helmand province, we have got a lay-down which was very much predicated by the fixed locations we had to go into, the operational environment and the question of where the Afghan Government wanted us to go.
"We are now in a period of consolidation. We are looking at how we best rebalance the force for both the medium and long term. It's rebalancing options that we are looking at."
Brig Butler said it would be "premature" for him to say what the results of the discussions would be.
dailymail.co.uk