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LONDON - Britain will send an extra 1,400 troops to Afghanistan because most NATO allies have refused to send soldiers to battle a resurgent Taleban, Defence Secretary Des Browne said today.
"Put simply, the alternative is unacceptable," Browne told parliament. "This is a risk we simply cannot afford to take, both for the sake of Afghanistan, and the for the sake of our own security."
Last year was the bloodiest in Afghanistan since US-led troops overthrew the Taleban government in 2001 for harbouring Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda network after September 11.
NATO, the United States and the Taleban are all promising spring offensives in what is widely regarded as a crunch year for Afghanistan, a country still in crisis more than five years after the Taleban's fall.
NATO has more than 33,000 troops in Afghanistan but Britain and the United States have struggled to persuade other members to send more troops, or to agree to deploy existing units to tackle the Taleban in their southern and eastern strongholds.
"It is increasingly clear that at present, when it comes to the most demanding tasks in the more challenging parts of Afghanistan, only we and a small number of key allies are prepared to step forward. This is why we have decided to commit additional forces to Afghanistan," said Browne.
"In terms of overall numbers, this adds up to nearly 1,400 additional personnel ... in total our forces in Afghanistan will increase from around 6,300 to settle at about 7,700 personnel."
The announcement followed news last week that the country would withdraw 1,600 troops from Iraq in coming months, cutting its force there to 5,500.
The United States said this month it was bolstering its troop presence in Afghanistan by 3,200 troops but the government has grown frustrated with European allies.
Browne said most of the additional troops would be based in the southern Helmand province, joining about 5,000 British soldiers already there. He said the British force was committed to staying in Afghanistan until 2009.
Browne said he would send four more Harrier jets, four Sea King helicopters and another C-130 Hercules transporter.
British soldiers have increasingly called on air support to pound Taleban positions and to deploy reinforcements quickly when they have run into stiff resistance from insurgents.
- REUTERS
