Britain scared of losing control of the poppy fields

[Flabbergasted]

A British patrol passes opium poppies in southern Afghanistan's violent Helmand province. Photo: John Moore/Getty



Britain is to send extra troops to Afghanistan after efforts to persuade Nato allies to contribute more towards operations in the country failed, the defence secretary said tonight.
In a statement released by the Ministry of Defence, Des Browne said he would announce details of which forces were going, and how many, to parliament on Monday.

Nato has to act "or we will put at risk everything we have achieved across Afghanistan in the last five years", he said.

"We have been trying hard to get other nations to live up to the joint commitment Nato made to Afghanistan and provide more forces, forces which are authorised to fight. We will continue to press. But we must be realistic."

He added: "We are acutely aware that our armed forces, particularly the army, continue to operate at a high operational tempo, but we believe this additional commitment is manageable." The statement said a Nato meeting earlier this month in Seville, Spain, had tried to persuade member countries to send extra troops to the more dangerous areas in southern and eastern Afghanistan, but without success.

"The UK has always agreed that Nato needs more forces in these regions, where the Taliban challenge is most serious - in particular, for a greater manoeuvre capability," Mr Browne said.

The new forces will be sent to the south of the country, where 5,000 British troops, part of a Nato contingent of 35,000 are already based.

The existing UK forces are stationed in Helmand province, a former Taliban stronghold still responsible for 60% of Afghanistan's opium production.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/story/0,,2020034,00.html

[lyonn]

1. The world has gone crazy.....

My first impression of a tank rumbling through those pretty poppy fields made me laugh. Now that is sick. if they had been spraying something to kill the plants, that would make sense.