LONDON, Nov 15: British troops are needed in Afghanistan within days to help restore order in the ravaged country and ease the fears of the Afghan people, International Development Minister Clare Short said Thursday.
“We need troops on the ground, both bringing order and bringing reassurance to the Afghan people, who are haunted by what happened when the Soviets withdrew,” she told reporters.
“We need to move in days.”
But Short acknowledged that British troops, several thousand of whom were put on 48-hour alert Wednesday for deployment in Afghanistan, would not be able to leave immediately.
“Speed is of the essence but you have to do things properly and you can’t risk your troops,” she said.
A team of six humanitarian experts would leave this weekend for the Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif with logistical and communications equipment, she said.
Short said that another 12 million pounds (20 million euros, 17 million dollars) had been unlocked from the 40 million pounds Britain has pledged in aid to Afghanistan.
The World Food Programme and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) will receive three million each, Emergency Mines Action will get two million and the World Health Organisation one million.
Aid would not be withheld from Taliban controlled areas, she added.
“Humanitarian aid has to be to everyone in need. We deliver wherever humanly possible. The UN has been doing that and will go on doing that,” she said.
The troops placed on 48-hour standby for deployment in Afghanistan consist of elite airborne and marine personnel.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair told parliament Wednesday that troops from 3 Commando Brigade and 16 Air Assault Brigade were ready to enter Afghanistan to guard humanitarian supply routes, secure airfields and ensure the safe return of UN and aid agency staff.
FRENCH TROOPS: Defence Minister Alain Richard said in Paris that French troops will be in Afghanistan to help with security and humanitarian aid “in a matter of days.”
Richard was confirming an announcement on Wednesday by Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine, who said that France would help UN efforts to secure northern Afghanistan and bring relief to the city of Mazar-i-Sharif.
Speaking after a cabinet meeting, Richard told reporters that France would contribute to rebuilding the infrastructure and “normal life conditions” in northern Afghanistan from a base in Mazar-i-Sharif.
“This is a matter of days,” he said, adding that the decision would be taken in conjunction with France’s partners in the international coalition.
CANADIAN TROOPS: Canada is prepared to deploy a 1,000-troop supplementary unit within 48 hours to participate in a multinational force in Afghanistan, the Canadian government said in Ottawa.
“Operations being considered would provide short-term stabilization in certain areas, allowing for the entry of humanitarian assistance,” Defence Minister Art Eggleton said in the statement.
The first team, the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian light infantry, are meant to complement “future possibilities for a longer-term international peacekeeping force that would help provide the tools to reestablish stability and civil society,” he added.
The Edmonton, Alberta-based battalion — comprised of three infantry rifle companies, an engineer squadron, a combat support company and an administrative company — has in the past been deployed as part of a special NATO Immediate Reaction Force (Land).—AFP
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