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| British Troops Set for Afghan Role |
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FRI, OCT 12, 2001
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British troops could be deployed in Afghanistan if a ground assault is launched, Britain's chief of defense staff said on Thursday.
"Any deployment of ground troops would probably be only for a short period, with very clearly defined objectives," Admiral Michael Boyce told a Ministry of Defense press briefing.
He said he was giving "very close consideration" to deploying three Commando Brigades, that are currently on exercises in Oman, and Britain's specialist winter and mountain warfare troops, inside Afghanistan.
"If we were to be thinking about doing any operations in Afghanistan on the ground, then clearly they would be one of the units we would give very close consideration to," he said.
"There needs to be a very clear reason for going in. It is not a country, as history has told us, for us to linger in, other than to go in for a very specific task and then probably withdraw again, " he said.
But Boyce also warned that military action in Afghanistan could continue well into next year.
He said that, despite signs the Taliban regime could rapidly collapse, coalition forces probably face a long struggle.
"It could be a very short haul, but we must expect to go through the winter and into next summer at the very least," he said.
At the same briefing, Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon said air strikes would continue as missions brought new targets to light and provided new intelligence to act on.
Britain is so far the only country other than the United States to have participated in the attacks on Afghanistan.
It has offered mainly a supporting, logistical role since its submarines fired cruise missiles at Afghanistan on Sunday.
Boyce said British planes had performed mid-air refueling and reconnaissance missions since the attacks began.
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