Britain to reinforce troops in Afghanista

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Britain to reinforce troops in Afghanistan 

London/Kandahar: Britain was to announce plans on Monday to reinforce its military forces in Afghnistan to deal with stronger than expected resistance in the House of Commons, even as four suspected Taliban rebels were killed in heavy fighting. 
   The Defense Ministry confirmed on Sunday that defense secretary Des Browne would inform that house �about the deployment of additional personnel and equipment.� 
   Six British servicemen have been killed in the province in a month and Browne acknowledged on on Saturday that a British deployment into the south had �energised opposition� from a resurgent Taliban. 
   Britain has around 5,000 troops based in Afghanistan, with 3,000 of those currently based in Helmand � where soldiers will begin a NATOled peacekeeping mission at the end of July. 
   Meanwhile, coalition and Afghan forces killed four militants and recovered a large cache of weapons, pushing the death toll from a weekend of heavy fighting in southern Afghanistan to 20, the US-led coalition said on Monday. 
   One Canadian soldier was killed and two wounded in the clashes in Kandahar province, where hundreds of Afghan and coalition forces, most of them Canadians, raided Taliban strongholds on Saturday and Sunday, officials said. 
   A coalition statement said four insurgents were killed and a joint Afghan-coalition patrol discovered mortar rounds, 120 mm rockets and small arms in Panjwayi district on Sunday. A day earlier, a coalition airstrike killed another 10 militants. 
   Also on Sunday, fighting in Zharew district left at least five Taliban militants dead, said coalition official Lt Cdr Mark MacIntyre. Canadian Cpl Anthony Boneca was killed and two other Canadian soldiers were wounded, he said. 
   Most of the clashes took place in fields and orchards where small bands of Taliban fighters have taken cover, MacIntyre said. 
   At least 18 Canadian soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since 2002. Four were killed in an April roadside bomb blast in the deadliest attack against the 2,300-strong Canadian contingent since deployment to Kandahar in February. 
   It is part of a NATO-backed expansion of international forces intended to secure the former Taliban heartland in southern Afghanistan. 
   On Sunday, president Hamid Karzai summoned a meeting of a special committee set up last month to address the country�s most urgent security and reconstruction issues, a statement from his office said. The committee includes senior Afghan officials and representatives from the US-led coalition, NATO and the United Nations. AP 

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KashifAsrar Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 27 June 2006 Location: India Status: Offline Points: 128	Post Options Post Reply Quote KashifAsrar Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Britain to reinforce troops in Afghanista Posted: 10 July 2006 at 9:46pm
	Britain to reinforce troops in Afghanistan London/Kandahar: Britain was to announce plans on Monday to reinforce its military forces in Afghnistan to deal with stronger than expected resistance in the House of Commons, even as four suspected Taliban rebels were killed in heavy fighting. The Defense Ministry confirmed on Sunday that defense secretary Des Browne would inform that house �about the deployment of additional personnel and equipment.� Six British servicemen have been killed in the province in a month and Browne acknowledged on on Saturday that a British deployment into the south had �energised opposition� from a resurgent Taliban. Britain has around 5,000 troops based in Afghanistan, with 3,000 of those currently based in Helmand � where soldiers will begin a NATOled peacekeeping mission at the end of July. Meanwhile, coalition and Afghan forces killed four militants and recovered a large cache of weapons, pushing the death toll from a weekend of heavy fighting in southern Afghanistan to 20, the US-led coalition said on Monday. One Canadian soldier was killed and two wounded in the clashes in Kandahar province, where hundreds of Afghan and coalition forces, most of them Canadians, raided Taliban strongholds on Saturday and Sunday, officials said. A coalition statement said four insurgents were killed and a joint Afghan-coalition patrol discovered mortar rounds, 120 mm rockets and small arms in Panjwayi district on Sunday. A day earlier, a coalition airstrike killed another 10 militants. Also on Sunday, fighting in Zharew district left at least five Taliban militants dead, said coalition official Lt Cdr Mark MacIntyre. Canadian Cpl Anthony Boneca was killed and two other Canadian soldiers were wounded, he said. Most of the clashes took place in fields and orchards where small bands of Taliban fighters have taken cover, MacIntyre said. At least 18 Canadian soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since 2002. Four were killed in an April roadside bomb blast in the deadliest attack against the 2,300-strong Canadian contingent since deployment to Kandahar in February. It is part of a NATO-backed expansion of international forces intended to secure the former Taliban heartland in southern Afghanistan. On Sunday, president Hamid Karzai summoned a meeting of a special committee set up last month to address the country�s most urgent security and reconstruction issues, a statement from his office said. The committee includes senior Afghan officials and representatives from the US-led coalition, NATO and the United Nations. AP