Brits to send 1500 to fight Taliban (and keep the peace after Iran is blown to bits)

Brits to send 1500 to fight Taliban
Michael Evans, London
February 26, 2007

AN extra battle group of up to 1500 British troops is to be sent to Afghanistan to take on the Taliban over the next few months, the British Government will announce today.
The extensive reinforcement, bringing the number of British troops in Afghanistan to about 7000, has been agreed with NATO after alliance partners failed to offer more infantry units to fight in the south.
General Bantz Craddock, the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, had appealed to all NATO members to come up with additional troops during a meeting of defence ministers in Spain this month.

British officials said that apart from "a few bits and pieces", no one had offered any fighting troops. "We felt we couldn't wait any longer because it would risk unravelling all the achievements we have been making in the south, so we have offered another battle group," one said.

The deployment of up to 1500 more troops, with armoured vehicles and extra helicopters, will be timed for when a British general takes command of the southern region in May. Major-General Jacko Page, whose 6th Division headquarters will be in Kandahar, had specifically asked for more troops.

The new battle group will be formed into a reserve force that can be sent to any part of southern Afghanistan, not just Helmand, where 5000 British troops are based. A further 500 are in Kabul, the capital.

The reinforcements will arrive at a time when the Taliban are expected to launch an offensive against NATO troops in the south, in an attempt to drive them out of their former strongholds in Helmand and Kandahar. Previous attempts have failed and the Taliban have suffered substantial losses.

Defence Secretary Des Browne, who confirmed last night that more troops would be sent, is expected to make a statement to the House of Commons today.

The move will mean Britain will have up to 6500 soldiers in southern Afghanistan.

Mr Browne is also expected to announce the withdrawal of the 600 British troops in Bosnia. He said in December their role had become limited to policing. With the withdrawal of 1600 troops from the Iraq war in May and June, as well as the Bosnia pullout, the strain on the army will be eased, and it will make sending another 1500 troops to Afghanistan less of a problem.

Military sources said there was no direct link between the pullout of 1600 troops from Iraq and the reinforcing of the British military in Afghanistan, although they recognised some would try to draw a connection.

Opposition defence spokesman Liam Fox said it was clear NATO's appeal for more troops had fallen on deaf ears.

"Those (extra) troops should be coming from countries such as Germany, France, Italy and Spain, who have so far not shown the adequate resolve to be part of a full NATO complement in Afghanistan," he said.

NATO is running the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan with a total complement of about 35,000 troops, but most of the contributions from NATO members are small.

The US has provided the biggest force -- 27,000, of whom 15,500 serve under NATO -- followed by Britain.

"Too many of our European partners are leaving UK taxpayers and the UK military to carry the cost," Dr Fox said.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21285093-2703,00.html

It might yet be reconstituted rather than elections being held that might bring Berlusconi back into power but, frankly, when you get down to it, France, Germany, Italy etc, they are just not that eager to end up like the Brits with lots more men killed for dubious results.