LONDON - Up to 800 British combat soldiers are preparing to deploy to southern Afghanistan to replace 800 engineers as part of BritainÂ’s mission in the restive region, the defence ministry said on Monday. Denying newspaper reports that 1,000 new soldiers were to be sent to Helmand province, a defence ministry spokesman said the rejig of personnel was in-line with a long-established plan to send a 3,300-strong force to take control of security on the ground from the US military under the umbrella of NATO.
“What they are reporting on is slightly disingenuous,” the spokesman told AFP, noting that troop numbers have been building up in time for the NATO-led peacekeeping force to take complete control by the end of July. “There are about 600 to 800 left to come, so when they (British media) say new troops to arrive, yes, there are more infantry troops to arrive but that is not new, that was always the case,” the spokesman said.
He confirmed that 800 engineers were to be rotated out of Helmand as they had finished building Camp Bastion, Britain’s main military base there. Asked whether there were any firm plans to increase the British deployment to tackle a stronger-than-expected Taleban resistance, the spokesman said he was not aware of such a proposal. “It would surprise me if a few newspaper headlines would change that,” he said, noting that any boost in military numbers required the approval of Prime Minister Tony Blair’s cabinet and the House of Commons. |