300 more troops poised for action

AROUND 300 troops from the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment — which recruits in Oldham — will be sent to Afghanistan as the fighting intensifies.

Soldiers are expected to be deployed in weeks, if not days, and will stay in Helmand until October, Defence Secretary Liam Fox told MPs.

They will concentrate on protecting central Helmand, including provincial capital Lashkar Gah, where British troops have enjoyed considerable success, Dr Fox said.

The deployment will come as soldiers pull out of the Sangin area — known as Death Valley — where 99 troops have perished in some of the most intense fighting the British military has faced since the Second World War.

The 2nd Battalion of the Duke of Lancaster is based in Cyprus, where it is called the Theatre Reserve Battalion and used for time-limited deployments, to fulfil specific tasks.

In a statement to the Commons, Dr Fox said: “The additional forces will be used to give commanders additional flexibility to re-inforce progress in central Helmand this summer.

“In a counter-insurgency campaign, the people are the prize. It is hugely important that we strike the right balance between the numbers of the civilian population and the size of the security services to protect them.”

Dr Fox also told the Commons that £189m will be spent on new equipment to improve links between British and Afghan forces. Just under £160m will go on surveillance and communications apparatus, with about £20m for personal equipment including helmets, body armour, night vision kit and machine guns. Some £10m will be spent on protected vehicles.

The extra Duke of Lancaster soldiers will take British troop numbers to 9,800 — plus special forces. The death toll, since 2001, stands at 312.

Fierce fighting with the Taliban is expected in the coming weeks. Other Nato allies are also expected to send small numbers of re-inforcements.

The Military of Defence has insisted the move out of Sangin is a redeployment, but the Taliban are certain to portray it as a defeat.

Speaking at prime minister’s questions, David Cameron again said that British forces should not be in Afghanistan in a “combat role, or in significant numbers” in five years time.

Stressing 2010 was a “key year”, the PM said: “It’s time to maximise the pressure now and then bring our forces home as we train up the Afghan army and police force to do the job that needs to be done.”