Hundreds more British troops could soon be sent to Afghanistan, a defence minister hinted yesterday.Downing Street has already said that the 700 extra troops sent to Helmand temporarily for the operation to protect the integrity of next month's elections will stay, probably to help to train Afghan troops. However, Bill Rammell, the Armed Forces Minister, hinted that the current total of 9,150 could be increased further as military chiefs call for up to 2,500 more soldiers on the ground.
Earlier Gordon Brown accepted the case for more helicopters in the region. In a change of tone, he acknowledged that more were required for the "general" Afghan mission and said that they were being ordered. He denied that a lack of helicopters was costing British lives after Lord Malloch-Brown, the Foreign Office Minister, appeared to back criticism that the British force was not properly equipped.
Lord Malloch-Brown told The Daily Telegraph: "We definitely don't have enough helicopters." Under pressure from No 10, he later issued a clarification: "There are without doubt sufficient resources in place for current operations."
The issue dominated the Prime Minister's monthly press conference at which Mr Brown insisted: "For the operation we are doing at the moment we have the helicopters we need." He also described as completely wrong any assertion that the recent loss of lives had been caused by an absence of helicopters.
"More helicopters in general, yes," he said. "That is why we are putting them into Afghanistan." More Merlins would be there by the end of the year, more Chinooks next year, and numbers had increased by 60 per cent over two years, he said.
| Why not borrow/buy some from Euro allies who don't otherwise contribute? The Brits (I suspect) have air and ground crews. Get some French, Spanish, Italian helicopters and get them to Afghanistan now. |
Earlier, on a visit to Salisbury Plain where he met troops preparing to deploy to Afghanistan, Mr Rammell confirmed that a review of troop numbers there would take place after the Afghan elections. Asked if he would meet the desire of military chiefs who have asked for an additional 2,000 to 2,500 troops in Afghanistan, the minister said: "This is a Government that does listen to the advice that it gets from the service chiefs. That is why we increased the numbers from 5,500 to 9,000." He added that the figure was kept under review.
Additional British troops are ready to head out to the front line if called upon. Brigadier James Cowan, commander of 11 Light Brigade, the next brigade to deploy to Afghanistan in the autumn, said: "It is up to ministers to decide. I will make do with what I am given. I am a practical man."
| Trapped by the right war/wrong war rhetoric, or responding to the rightward movement of the British electorate being reported in all the papers? |