NATO in a Spin Over Afghan Expansion--BBC (scaling back)

[Gloria]

1//BBC News, UK Monday, 12 December 2005, 17:53 GMT

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4521318.stm



NATO IN A SPIN OVER AFGHAN EXPANSION

Andrew North in Kabul



The size and mission of the British military force due to be sent to southern Afghanistan next year as part of Nato plans to expand its peacekeeping operations are being scaled back, the BBC has learned.



The move comes amid continuing uncertainty over the commitment of other European alliance members to the plan for Nato to take over responsibility from the US for the more dangerous south and east, the heartland of the four-year-old Taleban-led insurgency.



Last week, the Dutch government again postponed a decision on sending 1,100 troops to the volatile southern province of Uruzgan, amid domestic concerns about casualties.



For similar reasons, the UK government is now considering sending only about 1,000 combat troops to the equally challenging province of Helmand, well-placed sources have told the BBC.

That is about half the number originally discussed.



The government may also shelve plans to deploy Apache attack helicopters to support them.

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