UK considering to boost its troops numbers in Afghanistan

[Falange]

UK 'may increase Afghan troops' 

UK troops could be used to fill gaps in Nato's deployment
Britain may increase its military commitment in Afghanistan to help fill gaps in Nato's deployment there, a spokesman said.
James Appathurai, speaking for Nato's secretary general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, said the UK was considering "potentially increasing" its force.

The Ministry of Defence has not confirmed any plan to reinforce the 7,700 UK troops already in Afghanistan.

These are mostly in Helmand province, in the south of the country.

Mr de Hoop Scheffer will call on member states to increase their military presence in Afghanistan at a Nato summit in the Netherlands on 24 and 25 October.

He played down the prospect that Canada or the Netherlands might downscale their presence in the south of Afghanistan.

Mr Appathurai told BBC Radio 4's The World This Weekend: "In the south, we don't think the Dutch are going to leave. The Canadians are looking at exactly what they can do.

"The British are talking in the south not only about keeping what they have but potentially increasing it.

"We are not pessimistic at all. We hope the Dutch will stay, we hope the Canadians will stay and we are working to convince them to do that in one form or another."

Politicians of all parties have previously said the UK is bearing too much of the burden in Afghanistan

Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7055377.stm

 

[The Bread Guy]

Uh, not quite, shared with the usual disclaimer...

'NO PLAN' TO INCREASE AFGHAN TROOPS
Daily Express (UK), 21 Oct 07
Article link

The Ministry of Defence has said there are no plans to send more British troops to Afghanistan, after a spokesman for Nato Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said he understood the UK was considering "potentially increasing" its 7,700-strong force there.

Nato sources later backtracked on spokesman James Appathurai's remark, stressing that he was not expecting any offer of additional UK troops and was simply seeking to reflect the solid nature of Britain's commitment to the International Security Assistance Force.

Mr Appathurai was speaking ahead of a Nato summit in the Netherlands on October 24-25, at which Mr de Hoop Scheffer will call on member states for additional military contributions to its mission in Afghanistan.

He said the mission was currently only at 90%-95% of its intended strength and needed more helicopters, transport aircraft and training units.

Mr Appathurai insisted that Nato does not expect current debates in Canada or the Netherlands to lead to them downgrading their presence in the south of Afghanistan, where they have joined the UK and US in taking on the task of bringing security to the most lawless parts of the country.

He told BBC Radio 4's The World This Weekend: "In the south, we don't think the Dutch are going to leave. The Canadians are looking at exactly what they can do. The British are talking in the south not only about keeping what they have, but potentially increasing it."

Nato sources later indicated that Mr Appathurai was not referring to any behind-the-scenes talks about the deployment of more UK troops, but was drawing on his general understanding of Britain's stance.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "We are keeping our force levels under review but we are not about to make any future announcement on troop levels."

Any suggestion that Britain should increase its commitment in Helmand province, where troops have been engaged in fierce fighting with Taliban militias, would be controversial. Politicians of all parties have long said that the UK is bearing too much of the burden in Afghanistan and urged Nato allies to do more.

Liberal Democrat defence spokesman Nick Harvey said: "Our armed forces are already suffering because of too many commitments. If we take on a bigger deployment in Afghanistan then all the current problems of overstretch will only worsen. All the potential benefits of a withdrawal from Iraq will be undone if we take on a bigger role in Afghanistan."