UK to maintain its force in Afghanistan at 9,000

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HELMAND, Afghanistan — UK defence officials revealed that the number of UK troops in Afghanistan will stay at 9,000. On August 29, Prime Minister Gordon Brown pledged to send 200 additional roadside-bomb specialists and increase the number of Afghan army trainers. His announcement in Helmand province, however, may not have been agreed upon in advance with the Ministry of Defence.

It was reported on August 30 that 200 extra specialists would not increase the overall size of the force. “There will be some rebalancing to make sure the ‘top baseline’ figure of 9,000 troops remains constant,” one defence official said, meaning that 200 troops would have to be sent home to keep to the total number under the 9,000 limit.

In Afghanistan, Brown expressed interest in training 50,000 more Afghan soldiers over the next year, which was interpreted to mean that the UK would send more troops for that purpose. UK defence officials, however, said that an increase in trainers would also result in a reduction of troops on the ground in Afghanistan to keep the total force level at 9,000.

The UK Ministry of Defence said more unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) would be sent to Helmand to improve reconnaissance and detect would-be bombers. At present the British force has three ‘Reaper’ drones, and a mix of ‘Hermes 450’ drones and tiny ‘Desert Hawks.’

The other announcements Brown made included the deployment of 20 additional armoured vehicles to be added to the 30 already in Helmand, a better armoured troop-carrier to provide more effective resistance against roadside bombs and the accelerated delivery of the new ‘Warthog’ A-10 Thunderbolt II, a U.S. jet aircraft developed to provide close air support of ground forces with a limited air interdiction capability.

Brown also referred to the delivery of more helicopters, which had been announced earlier. Six ‘Merlins’ are being sent from Iraq to Helmand, and a small number of ‘Lynx’ helicopters with improved engines for cold temperatures will be deployed for use in winter.

[Times UK]