Armedforces News - January 2008
UK Troops Could Face Long-Term Afghan Deployment
Posted by Paul Fiddian on 14/01/2008 - 20:13:45
Des Browne, the UK Defence Secretary, has highlighted how Britain’s armed forces deployment in Afghanistan “could last decades”. Speaking to Sunday’s The People, he stated the following, when quizzed on the length of time the British military presence in Afghanistan could be expected to last:
“We cannot risk it again becoming an ungoverned training haven for terrorists who threaten the UK. It is a commitment which could last decades, although it will reduce over time."
He added, however, "But there is only so much our forces can achieve. The job can only be completed by the international community working with the Afghan government and its army."
7,800 British Troops Currently in Afghanistan
Presently, around 7,800 British soldiers are serving in Afghanistan, where they form part of a NATO force comprised of 40,000 troops overall. It is expected that the imminent pullback of British troops from Iraq will result in a greater number being allocated to Afghanistan.
According to a spokeswoman from the Ministry of Defence, time would decide the role for the British military in Afghanistan. "The British government's commitment to Afghanistan is long term and it's not just a military commitment," she advised news agency Reuters.
"Previously it was a failed state and it's going to be a long-term commitment to make sure it's a stable country."
In December 2007, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown delivered a speech in which he stated how the NATO force in Afghanistan was "winning the battle against the insurgency", adding that the British soldiers deployed there, along with their international colleagues, were "isolating and eliminating the leadership of the Taliban, not negotiating with them".
His comments came soon after the well-publicised assault on the former Taliban stronghold of Musa Qala.
Source – Armed Forces International’s Political Correspondent
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