British-led troops are ready to take on the Taliban in Afghanistan, their new commander said Thursday. The UK formally assumed command of NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) from Italy today. British commander Lieutenant General David Richards insisted in an interview with BBC radio he had sufficient troops for the task. The primary role of ISAF is to assist the Afghan Government in establishing security, while the US-led coalition hunts down al Qaida and Taliban. General Richards, whose command includes the 3,300-strong British task force currently deploying in the lawless Helmand province, acknowledged that his mission could bring his troops into conflict with the Taliban. "We will focus on action that actively assists the government of Afghanistan nurture and further develop the consent of the people to their government, particularly in actively improving security and stability," he said.
"ISAF's main effort will be to expand the area in which the government of Afghanistan, international, and non-governmental agencies can safely operate." General Richards told the BBC "There are things we will do that are quite benign, such as ensuring the security of government officials as they move around the country, through to, if necessary, taking on Taliban opponents wherever they may be." He added, "We will be focusing more on spreading the writ of the government and if that means that we come up against, as we almost certainly will, opponents, some are criminals, some are characterised as Taliban but aren't actually, and others are actually Taliban, we will take them on." "None of us are worried about that because at the lower tactical level we will respond robustly to make sure that we do the task and our soldiers' lives are properly protected," General Richards added. ISAF has been responsible for security in the north of the country and is currently moving into the south-west. It will take over from the US in the south-east later this year.