Troops in line for Afghanistan tour

Brown gives backing in principle for 500 more to be sent – with conditions on equipment

By Gavin Cordon

Published:

Gordon Brown gave the go-ahead “in principle” yesterday for the deployment of an additional 500 British troops to Afghanistan, taking the total UK force in the country to 9,500.

In a Commons statement, the prime minister said he was responding to “clear military advice” from the chiefs of staff, and from military commanders on the ground.

He told MPs the reinforcements were dependent on a series of conditions being met, including a requirement that all troops would be fully equipped.

Earlier, he came under fire from former defence secretary John Hutton who said it would have been “much more helpful” if the reinforcements had been sent six months ago.

Mr Hutton, who resigned in May at a time when military chiefs were reported to be pressing for up to 2,000 additional troops, warned the UK Government could “screw it up really badly” if the forces were not given the resources they needed.

The head of the Army, General Sir David Richards, said he was “confident” Mr Brown’s criteria would be met, but Downing Street was unable to say when the deployment of the additional troops would take place.

As well as the need to ensure they were properly equipped, Mr Brown said there had to be an agreed approach across the inter- national coalition, with all countries “bearing their fair share”.

With the outcome of the presidential elections still to be decided, he said the next Afghan government needed to demonstrate its willingness to commit more troops to the fight.

The prime minister’s spokesman said Mr Brown hoped the conditions could be met “as quickly as possible”, with a result possible in the Afghan elections “in the next few days”.

Mr Brown said he had received assurances from both President Hamid Karzai and his main challenger, Dr Abdullah Abdullah, about the approach they would take.

Mr Brown told MPs it is essential to stabilise the region if al Qaida was to be denied a base to mount fresh attacks on the west.

Chief of the Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup said they now needed to hear from the US, where President Barack Obama’s administration is reviewing its Afghan strategy.

General Stanley McChrystal, the commander of international forces in the US, has put forward a proposal for up to 40,000 additional troops as part of a full-scale counter-insurgency strategy.

However others in the administration are said to favour a more limited counter-terrorism strategy using unmanned aerial drones and special forces’ raids to hit al Qaida targets.

Air Chief Marshal Stirrup signalled his strong support for Gen McChrystal’s approach, saying he agreed with “just about all” of his report.

In the meantime, Mr Brown said, there would be a greater concentration of British forces in central Helmand, with the redeployment of the southern regional battle group from Kandahar.

It is understood the Royal Anglian Regiment is to be deployed to Helmand to fulfil that role, ahead of the return next month of the Black Watch battle group from Kandahar.

In the Commons, Tory leader David Cameron called for Whitehall to be put on a “proper war footing” to run the Afghanistan campaign.

He said: “We need a clear sense of direction from ministers, a clear sense of who is in day-to-day charge, and a government machine that responds quickly and decisively.”

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said there was still no overarching strategy and no co-ordinated international plan for Afghanistan.

“We cannot continue to fight this war on half-horsepower with half-measures and half-baked thinking,” he said.

The US reacted warmly to the British announcement.