The Sunday Times July 30, 2006
More UK troops to face Taliban
Michael Smith
THE government is preparing to reinforce British troops in Afghanistan for the second time in a month to deal with the unexpectedly fierce resistance of Taliban militiamen.
A 600-strong battalion has been put on five days’ standby to fly out if the situation in the south of the country deteriorates.
The step will be seen by critics as an admission that reinforcements announced earlier this month by Des Browne, the defence secretary, may prove insufficient.
In the announcement Browne said 900 extra troops would be sent to Afghanistan, bringing the British force in Helmand province to 3,500.
Browne told MPs last week he was “satisfied that there are sufficient forces and assets to maintain the operations that we are setting out to achieve”.
Defence sources linked the new standby order to a visit to London a week ago by Lieutenant-General David Richards, the British commander of Nato’s international security assistance force in Afghanistan. Richards is understood to believe the British force in Helmand is too small to deal with the insurgency.
The Duke of Kent met the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers in Iraq in February. They are also stationed in Afghanistan.
The earlier reinforcements announced by Browne included just 200 frontline troops. The infantry unit put on standby last week, the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, would provide a strong boost to these numbers. The Argylls are currently preparing to take part in the annual Edinburgh military tattoo, which begins this Friday, but will have to bow out if sent to Afghanistan.
The challenge facing British troops was highlighted by Richards, who takes over command of forces in southern Afghanistan tomorrow. During his London visit he spoke to Browne and senior military planners.
He then told a conference at the Royal United Services Institute in the capital that the forces were short of equipment and were “running out of time” to win over the Afghan people. Six British soldiers have died in combat.
Richards is understood to believe that not only are there too few frontline troops but they do not have enough troop-carrying helicopters.
British troops have killed 700 Taliban since they arrived in Helmand but the insurgents have several thousand more fighters in Pakistan and are recruiting Afghans in Helmand, paying them $10 (£5.40) a day.
Richards wants to pull his forces back to their base at Camp Bastion and to the British provincial reconstruction team in Lashkar Gah rather than spread them too thinly.
Among the gaps highlighted by the general was the lack of medical evacuation systems and life-saving equipment. The shortages are forcing commanders to send wounded soldiers to Pakistan, defence sources said.
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