Britain prepares paras for tackling Taliban
BRITAIN: British defence chiefs have put a parachute regiment
battalion on standby to jump into Afghanistan should fighting escalate
with the Taliban, The Sunday Times said.
It would be the first time that British paratroopers have jumped into
action since the Suez conflict 50 years ago, said the weekly British
newspaper.
Citing senior defence sources, the broadsheet said 600 troops from
2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment, were on standby to fly to
Afghanistan within 12 hours and carry out an airborne landing within 24
hours.
Top British diplomats warned last week that a planned assault on
opium producers was likely to result in heavy fighting, the newspaper
said.
Therefore, military planners have drawn up a contingency plan in
which a parachute battalion would jump from six Hercules C-130 transport
aircraft to reinforce British Royal Marines in southern Afghanistan.
Britain has around 5,000 troops in the war-shattered central Asian
country.
Commanders of NATO's International Security Assistance Force have
said they are stretched in their fight against the resurgent militants
and need more manpower and equipment to fight a stronger than expected
campaign.
The violence has peaked this year: more than 3,000 people have been
killed, most of them rebels said to be with the Taliban movement forced
from government in late 2001 in a US-led invasion..
London, Sunday, AFP
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