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U.K. troops in Afghanistan get “super weapon”

London: British soldiers in Afghanistan are being supplied with a new “super weapon” to attack Taliban fighters more effectively, defence officials said on Wednesday.

The “enhanced blast” weapon is based on thermobaric technology used in the powerful bombs dropped by the Russians to obliterate Grozny, the Chechen capital, and in U.S. “bunker busters”.

Defence officials insisted on Wednesday that the British bombs were different. “They are optimised to create blast [rather than heat]”, one said, adding that it would be misleading to call them “thermobaric”.

So-called thermobaric weapons have been used by the U.S. against suspected Al-Qaeda and Taliban underground bases. Combined heat and pressure kill people over a wide area by sucking the air out of lungs and destroying internal organs.

Defence officials said the bombs would be more effective than conventional weapons such as anti-tank missiles which often miss their targets. Even when they hit the damage is limited to a confined area. The new weapons would be more effective against buildings and structures used by the Taliban.

Sir Menzies Campbell, the Opposition Liberal Democrat leader, described the weapons as a “serious step change” for the British army. He added: “The continuing issue of civilian casualties in Afghanistan has enormous importance in the battle for hearts and minds. If these weapons contribute to the deaths of civilians then a primary purpose of the British deployment is going to be made yet more difficult.”

The deployment of the weapons should have been announced to MPs, Sir Menzies said. “We need much more transparency.

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