British troops take brunt of huge rise in...

[Peikko 1,575]

A huge increase in insurgent activity has been recorded in Helmand, the Afghan province where British soldiers are based and where the Taliban is concentrating its attacks, according to Nato figures released today.Deaths of foreign troops across Afghanistan rose by 78% over the first three months of this year compared with the same period in 2008. The number of British soldiers killed continued at a high rate, with 12 killed last month.

During the first quarter of 2009 there was an average of more than 11 attacks in Helmand a day, many of them improvised explosive devices (IEDs). This was far more than anywhere else in Afghanistan. Neighbouring Kandahar province accounted for the second highest number with just over four daily attacks on average.

"The Taliban's principle military effort is directed at Helmand," a senior British defence source said. He added that British attempts at countering IEDs were improving, with more expert countermeasures.

More than 50% of the devices placed by insurgents were now being detected, he said. However, military commanders expect attacks to continue at a high rate throughout the summer.

To meet a threat which shows no real signs of lessening the US is deploying thousands of its soldiers to Helmand to help out the British. There will soon be about 12,000 US troops in the province, more than the number of their British counterparts there.

Many of them will be based in the south of the province, in Garmsir district, towards the border with Pakistan.

There will be about 9,000 British soldiers in Helmand when an extra 700 are deployed to cover for the Afghan presidential election period this autumn. The US want the extra British troops to stay there. But under present plans the 700 will return to the UK by the end of the year.

British defence chiefs, sensitive to suggestions that the US is taking over control from them in Helmand, insist that the UK will still be responsible for liaising with the Afghan civil authorities in the province. Officials suggest there is some evidence that "moderate" Taliban fighters are contemplating joining community forces being set up by the Afghan government.

Plans drawn up by UK defence chiefs for an extra 2,000 British troops to be deployed to Helmand have been rejected by Gordon Brown, partly because of Treasury concern about the cost, and partly, say Whitehall officials, because the plans were not convincing.

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[alienlovechild 75]

To meet a threat which shows no real signs of lessening the US is deploying thousands of its soldiers to Helmand to help out the British. There will soon be about 12,000 US troops in the province, more than the number of their British counterparts there.

Here comes the cavalry to the rescue.

British defence chiefs, sensitive to suggestions that the US is taking over control from them in Helmand, insist that the UK will still be responsible for liaising with the Afghan civil authorities in the province. Officials suggest there is some evidence that "moderate" Taliban fighters are contemplating joining community forces being set up by the Afghan government.

That's possible but Afghans notoriously switch sides.

Plans drawn up by UK defence chiefs for an extra 2,000 British troops to be deployed to Helmand have been rejected by Gordon Brown, partly because of Treasury concern about the cost, and partly, say Whitehall officials, because the plans were not convincing.

So the remaining troops have to do with what they have because the British government don't think it's cost effective?