Over 800 troops to be deployed to Taliban danger zones

13 April 2012

Over 800 troops are to be deployed to Taliban danger zones in southern Afghanistan, the Defence Secretary Des Browne has confirmed.

Mr Browne said the extra deployment to the war-torn Helmand province would be in place by late summer.

The widely expected announcement brings the total number of serving British personnel in Afghanistan to 5,800.

The increase means commanders in Helmand will have around 450 extra infantrymen at their disposal to cope with the expected surge in Taliban attacks when spring arrives.

The porous border with Pakistan to the south of Helmand province means the Taliban has access to a seemingly endless supply of fresh fighters and equipment, and commanders.

British soldiers have faced fierce resistance from militia in Helmand, where the bulk of the UK's 46 fatalities in Afghanistan have been suffered.

Meanwhile, Britain's presence in the Afghan capital Kabul is to be reduced by around 500 personnel as the UK hands over command of the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force to the US this weekend.

The result will be an increase of around 300 in the overall British commitment to the country.

The changes come as 3 Commando Brigade of the Royal Marines reach the end of their tour of duty in Helmand in April.

In a written statement to MPs, Mr Browne confirmed that they will be replaced by units drawn principally from 12 Mechanised Brigade.

According to Army insiders Brigadier John Lorimer, the officer who will command 12 Mechanised Brigade, specifically asked for an extra fighting battalion after seeing the pressure placed on the Royal Marines over the winter.

Last summer, Paratroopers and other soldiers from 16 Air Assault Brigade fought intense battles with the Taliban for weeks on end in a brutal environment.

The Defence Secretary also confirmed that Harrier GR7 and GR9 jets, Apache attack helicopters, Viking all-terrain vehicles and Royal Engineer support units currently in Helmand will remain until April 2009.

Mr Browne said British troops had "released the Taliban stranglehold" in many parts of the province. He added: "But there is, however, a long way to go in Afghanistan, particularly in the south. The Taliban have been knocked back but they are not finished.

An MOD spokesman added: "We do not underestimate the Taliban. We recognise that they are traditionally more active in the spring and summer months, and that we need a force package to meet that."

Commanders are pursuing a strategy of trying to cut the Taliban off from local support in towns and villages across Helmand, but that requires large numbers of troops to clear and hold territory and deny it to the enemy.

Some critics claim a far more substantial increase in troop numbers will be needed to bring lasting stability to the troubled province. Shadow Defence Secretary, Dr Liam Fox warned that Britain was "shouldering the burden" in the south of Afghanistan.

He said: "There have to be serious questions raised about why the British Army are shouldering yet more of the burden down in the south of Afghanistan."

"It cannot be acceptable that British taxpayers are funding a greater proportion of the cost and the British military are shouldering a greater part of the burden in the most dangerous part of the country.

"Where are our Nato allies? This is simply not an acceptable long term position. It is absolutely outrageous that when we have the concept of shared security we don't have properly shared risk."

The British arrived in Helmand a year ago with essentially a single battalion of paratroops. They were mainly confined to a few mountain districts in the north of Helmand and quickly thrust into what commanders called Britain's fiercest fighting since the Korean War 50 years ago.

Late last year, Britain increased its infantry force to two battalions of marines. The fighting has been more quiet in recent weeks, but commanders expect it to surge again with the coming warm months.

Tory MP Mike Penning, who joined British troops on training exercises in Northumberland last week, said: "This announcement means that our troops will be able to officially start to train for a very very dangerous deployment.

"I am disappointed it has taken this long for this announcement as it has been one of the worst kept secrets in the military.

"I have no doubt that these troops will excel themselves."

Tory James Arbuthnot, chair of the Commons defence select committee, said:

"I am becoming increasingly worried that we are trying to bring to Afghanistan the concept of the rule of law and of central government - concepts Afghanistan has never actually had, never actually wanted - and we are doing it at the same time as we are destroying the livelihood of many Afghans.

"It is not a recipe for success and the consequences we see in the radicalisation of British youth here at home.

"There is just no sense of any coordinated campaign plan to win the hearts and minds of people in Afghanistan, or Iraq, or even in the UK."

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