The Hindu : Opinion / News Analysis : British troops await Afghan order

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Thursday, Nov 17, 2005

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Opinion - News Analysis

British troops await Afghan order

Simon Tisdall

Helmand province is to be "home" for up to 2,000 British troops next spring.

CAMP BASTION is not a familiar address, but that may change. Reportedly still under construction, it is in Helmand province, heart of south Afghanistan's bandit country. And it is to be "home" for up to 2,000 British troops deploying to the region next spring.

The U.K. Ministry of Defence says no final decisions on reinforcement of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) have been made. But units earmarked include Paratroops, Royal Engineers, and attack helicopters. Ordinary soldiers say they know they are going — "we just don't know exactly when, where, or what we will be doing."

Fighting involving Al-Qaeda acolytes, Taliban remnants, and tribal factions is fiercest in the Pashtun provinces of Helmand, Kandahar and Uruzgan where Isaf is heading. Western governments maintain that September's elections were another step to a democratic, stable Afghanistan. But successful candidates included former Taliban members, fundamentalists, drug lords, and mujahideen. Emma Bonino, who led the EU's observer mission, predicted the elections would not produce a "sustainable" political culture. President Hamid Karzai's Government, under pressure for allegedly squandering reconstruction aid and failing to improve basic services, struggles to assert its authority outside Kabul.

How Isaf will tackle counter-insurgency and counter-narcotics once most of 4,000 US troops in the south withdraw next spring has sparked intense debate in NATO. Sensitivities at Washington's "war on terror" mean some European allies will stick to peacekeeping and reconstruction. But Britain, which takes command of Isaf in May, also needs help in Helmand. It is in talks with a putative "old empire" alliance of Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. Uncertainty about whether backing will be forthcoming is causing concern. "The announcement of the deployment seems to have been delayed because there is disagreement about operational issues and rules of engagement," Michael Ancram, shadow defence secretary, said on Tuesday. "My guess is that there is a dispute about what Isaf will do. If not careful, they could end up with two sets of rules: one for peacekeeping, and one for counter-insurgency. That would court disaster." He said the mission was worthwhile. "Sixty per cent of Afghanistan's economy is drug-based. There'll never be stability until that changes. And we've always said, when it comes to fighting Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, we'll do whatever it takes."

— © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004

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