More Troops for Afghanistan
The Sunday Times - Britain to throw extra troops into Afghan front line
Military commanders plan to increase Britain’s frontline fighting units in Afghanistan by at a least a quarter amid signs the war against the Taliban is intensifying.
General Sir Richard Dannatt, the head of the army, has ordered an extra infantry battalion of frontline troops including Gurkhas to take on the Taliban in war-torn Helmand province, according to sources.
Four battalions, one each from the Coldstream Guards, the Yorkshire Regiment, the Royal Gurkhas and the Royal Marines have been formally “warned” that they should be ready to deploy to Helmand this autumn. They are set to replace the three fighting battalions currently in theatre.
The decision to deploy the Gurkhas will send a signal to the Taliban commanders that British forces will not flinch in their determination to press the Taliban back high into the mountains. More than 1,000 of them are reported to have been flown from their base in Brunei for training in Britain.
Des Browne, the defence secretary, announced last February that troop numbers would increase by 1,400 to 7,700 this summer. But the new plans are likely to see the overall deployment increase by as many as 800 more fighting men, bringing the total commitment to 8,500.......