, Approximately 1,400 additional UK troops are to deploy to southern Afghanistan at NATO's request, Defence Secretary Des Browne announced today, 26 February 2007.
This additional force will bring the total number of UK forces in Afghanistan to around 7,700 personnel.
UK forces are part of NATO's UN mandated International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). The additional troops will provide NATO commanders in Regional Command (South) with a flexible capability for use across the southern region.
Defence Secretary Des Browne said:
“I have said repeatedly that there is no purely military solution to Afghanistan's problems. But unless we can help bring security to all its people, and convince them that the elected government, with our support, will defeat the Taliban, then everything else they and we have achieved in Afghanistan will remain at risk. That is a risk we cannot afford to take
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