Nigel Sheinwald

Helmand: the UK commitment and the US troop uplift

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has made clear the UK's unwavering commitment to a secure and stable future for Afghanistan. That is therefore a subject on which I and my team in Washington, both diplomatic and military, work extremely closely with the US Administration. As we welcome the large increase of US troops in Helmand, where our troops continue the hard fighting in which they have been engaged for several years now, it is a good time to reflect on what we have achieved so far.

The performance of the 8,300 UK troops (rising to 9,000 for the elections period) currently in Afghanistan has been, and continues to be, impressive and successful.  We are by a long way the second largest contributor to the NATO force, after the US.  Since 2006, when UK forces first deployed to Helmand, much has changed for the better.

After initially taking the fight to the Taliban around the province, UK forces have established a presence in the five major population centres where 85% of the Helmand population live - training the Afghan National Army and Police and allowing development advisers, including from international organisations like the UN, to work with local Afghan leaders and government representatives. All major towns in Helmand are now under the Afghan Government's control.

The UK's Provincial Reconstruction Team in Lashkar Gah now contains over 80 civilians, working across the full governmental agenda to train and support their Afghan counterparts as they make their democratic writ run across the province.

However, despite this progress, the insurgency remains determined, violent, and resilient in Southern Afghanistan. In its indiscriminate attacks, it continues to present a significant threat to the Afghan population. UK forces in Helmand have seen some of the hardest fighting in the whole country, which is reflected by the numbers of casualties we suffer. 176 British Forces personnel or Ministry of Defence civilians have died while serving in Afghanistan since 2001.

So the large increase of US troops and trainers currently being deployed to Afghanistan is welcome. The majority of these forces will deploy to Southern Afghanistan and will be operating closely with the Canadian, Danish, Dutch, Australian, British, and above all, Afghan troops who are already there.

The deployment presents three opportunities. Firstly, to consolidate the security gains we have made in Southern Afghanistan, allowing the Afghan government to operate for the benefit of the Afghan people. Secondly, to put conditions in place for Afghanistan to hold credible and inclusive presidential elections in August. Thirdly, to provide greater assistance in training the Afghan National Army and Afghan police to provide the security themselves.

The United States is our closest ally. Our relationship is based on shared values, working together to tackle threats to international security, to advance global stability, and encourage freedom and democracy. As a result of the US troop inflow in the South, the British military, our civilian staff, and our allies will be able to do much much more to support the Afghan Government, and deliver a stable and secure Afghanistan that can never again foster a terrorist threat.

The British Defence Secretary, Bob Ainsworth, has today given a speech about the UK's commitment to Afghanistan - it gives a comprehensive assessment of our enduring commitment to Afghanistan, and is worth reading.

Posted at 12:43 08 July 2009 by Nigel Sheinwald  |  Comments[0]