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April 18, 2006

5,000 British Troops Aiding Fight Against Afghan Drug Trafficking

British troops conducting a vehicle check on a Kabul road, February 2006 (RFE/RL)

April 18, 2006 -- Britain's Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram today said the 5,000 British troops now being deployed in Afghanistan’s south are working to help the government of President Hamid Karzai fight drug trafficking.

In comments made to Associated Press during a visit to Kosovo, Ingram said the aim of the troop deployment is "to make Afghanistan a whole country again."


Britain, which has currently 1,000 troops on the ground in Afghanistan, is deploying an additional 4,000 soldiers with the NATO-led ISAF security force there.


The move is part of NATO's efforts to expand its mission to the country's troubled south.


In related news, the Netherlands today said it was planning to increase its contribution to ISAF in Afghanistan to 1,600 troops, up from 1,400, as NATO expands to southern Afghanistan.


(AP)
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