AFP: Britain to send more troops to southern Afghanistan

Britain to send more troops to southern Afghanistan

by Katherine Haddon

20 minutes ago

LONDON (AFP) - Britain is to send an additional 800 troops to southern Afghanistan,
Defence Secretary Des Browne has said, as forces brace for a spring offensive by
Taliban insurgents.

The increase will bring Britain's force in the south, where it has spearheaded a
NATO-led offensive against insurgents, to some 5,800 by late summer.

But overall Britain's deployment in the country will rise by only 300 since London is
to withdraw 500 troops from Kabul when it hands over command of the International
Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to the United States this weekend.

The extra troops will be heading for the British hub in Helmand province, which has
in recent months seen the worst of a Taliban-led insurgency which claimed over 4,000
lives last year.

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