( De Britse aanwezigheid in Afghanistan: Kandahar/Helmand (Lashkar Gah)
British Soldiers To Deploy in Kandahar
The British government will deploy 1400 of its soldiers in the northern part of Kandahar province, said British Defence Minister John Reed yesterday. According to him the British soldiers will be a part of multinational forces stationed in Afghanistan. It must be said that 9000 soldiers (including 3,300 British soldiers) will be deployed in southern Afghanistan.
The number of NATO led army men in Afghanistan is around 18,500.
The English soldiers will help ensuring peace and not chasing remnants of Taliban in Afghanistan, John said. (29-01-2006)9 جدی 1384 مطابق29 چنوری 2006
http://www.bakhtarnews.com/
Wat is er in de tussentijd gebeurd?
As a British general took command of an expanded Nato force - including 12,000 American soldiers - which will now operate throughout Afghanistan. (05-10-2006)
The southern Helmand province, where the bulk of about 4,500 British troops in Afghanistan are deployed, has seen heavy fighting this year with officials saying the Taliban and drugs lords appear to be in cahoots. (07-10-2006)
There are currently 5,500 troops deployed in the country, with that figure rising to 5,800 in October. Of those already in Afghanistan, 1,300 are in Kabul and 4,200 are in the southern province of Helmand. (07-10-2006).
Helmand
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/5245238.stm
Tientallen Talibanstrijders gedood in Zuid-Afghanistan
ANP (Volkskrant: 04-12-2006)
AMSTERDAM - NAVO-militairen hebben tijdens een hevig gevecht in het zuiden van Afghanistan naar schatting zeventig tot tachtig strijders van de opstandige Taliban gedood. Dat heeft een woordvoerder van de door de NAVO geleide missie ISAF maandag bekendgemaakt.
Een verkenningspatrouille stuitte zondag op een grote groep rebellen in de omgeving van het dorp Musa Qala in de provincie Helmand. Het straatarme en droge gebied is een bastion van conservatieve moslimstrijders en de belangrijkste opium producerende provincie van Afghanistan.
Tijdens de vier uur durende vuurgevechten werden de NAVO-militairen gesteund door aanvalshelikopters. Aan ISAF-zijde vielen geen slachtoffers. Wel werden tijdens een aanval eerder op de dag drie NAVO-soldaten verwond.
http://www.volkskrant.nl/buitenland/article375740.ece/Tientallen_Talibanstrijders_gedood_in_Zuid-Afghanistan
(Het doden gaat maar door. Als die patrouille daar niet was geweest, dan waren er niet zoveel mensen gedood).
Britse troepen in Afghanistan kregen ondeugelijke munitie
ANP (Volkskrant: 23-11-2006)
LONDEN - Het Britse ministerie van Defensie heeft onlangs ondeugdelijke munitie naar de troepen in Afghanistan gestuurd. Dat meldde The Daily Telegraph donderdag. Het werd voor de soldaten daardoor zo gevaarlijk dat paratroepers op een gegeven moment zelfs weigerden nog op patrouille te gaan. Ze moesten kogels van Canadese en Amerikaanse speciale eenheden lenen om de Taliban te bevechten.
Het probleem betrof .50 kaliber kogels voor een Browning machinegeweer. Het ministerie weet niet hoe het zover heeft kunnen komen. Volgens de krant gaat het mogelijk om kogels die in Pakistan of Tsjechië zijn geproduceerd en die een Browning voortdurend blokkeren. Deze kogels zijn veel goedkoper dan kogels uit de VS, Canada of Groot-Brittannië en zouden daardoor een flinke besparing hebben opgeleverd.
http://www.volkskrant.nl/buitenland/article372623.ece/Britse_troepen_in_Afghanistan_kregen_ondeugelijke_munitie
Doden bij aanslag op NAVO-troepen Afghanistan
(Telegraaf: 19-10-2006)
LASHKAR GAH - Bij een aanslag op NAVO-militairen in het zuiden van Afghanistan zijn donderdag meerdere doden gevallen. Zeker is dat er enkele burgers om het leven zijn gekomen, onduidelijk is of er ook onder NAVO-personeel slachtoffers zijn.
Een militair voertuig brandde uit, zo meldden ooggetuigen van de aanslag op de markt van de stad Lashkar Gah, de hoofdstad van de provincie Helmand. In de provincie zijn Britse militairen gelegerd.
Het Britse ministerie van Defensie liet weten dat twee Britse militairen gewond zijn geraakt bij de aanslag. Het zegt geen melding te hebben over doden onder de Britten. Een Afghaanse militair verklaarde echter dat er twee NAVO-soldaten om het leven zijn gekomen.
http://www.telegraaf.nl/buitenland/51797691/Doden_bij_aanslag_op_NAVO_troepen_Afghanistan.html
Wie spreekt de waarheid, het Britse ministerie van defensie, of de Afghaanse militair? Waarschijnlijk wil het ministerie van Defensie de situatie nog niet bevestigen, wat begrijpelijk is.
UK troops 'need more helicopters' in Afghanistan
(BBC News 08-10-2006)
Troops need more Chinook helicopters to carry out operations
UK forces fighting the Taleban in Afghanistan need more troop-carrying helicopters to carry out their mission, the British commander there has said.
Brigadier Ed Butler requested more Chinook helicopters in response to a promise by Prime Minister Tony Blair of whatever extra resources were needed.
Mr Blair praised troops' courage during a "very tough" operation.
They are working very hard and there's been some phenomenal flying from the pilots
Brig Ed Butler said.
Fact file: Chinook (BBC)
The Ministry of Defence says troops are to carry out a week-long review to see if additional equipment is needed. The study will be done by Royal Marines who are taking over duties in the south of the country.
Shadow Defence Secretary Liam Fox said the Army was overstretched, and was already waiting for promised supplies.
Mr Blair's comments came in an interview on British Forces TV and Radio to mark the fifth anniversary of operations in Afghanistan. He acknowledged that the south of the country, where most troops were based, was still "lawless", and pledged "every support and every protection" for the British force.
NATO FORCE IN AFGHANISTAN
31,000 troops now on ground in Afghanistan, including 10,000 coalition troops moved under Nato command
37 nations contributing
8,000 US-led troops continue training and counter-terrorism separate from Nato force
*Contribution figures may differ from exact numbers on the ground.
The Ministry of Defence said it was not aware of a specific request for extra helicopters from Brig Butler. "The commanders have what they need to do the mission. Obviously, if they had more they could do more with it. That is what Brig Butler has always said," an MoD spokesman said.
The BBC's correspondent in Kabul, Alistair Leithead, says the question of extra helicopters has been raised again and again - with other Nato units also wanting more.
'Long haul'
Meanwhile Kim Howells, the Foreign Office minister with responsibility for Afghanistan, stressed troops were fighting a "fierce battle" and were in the country for "a long haul". He said that while British commanders felt they had all of the equipment they needed, they would like more support from some other Nato countries which were not "punching their weight".
In September alone, seven soldiers died in Afghanistan as a result of hostile action and 14 died when a RAF Nimrod crashed after a suspected technical fault. In all, 40 British soldiers have been killed since September 2001, and there have been high casualties in the past three months.
(On Sunday, it emerged a Nato soldier had been killed in an attack on a patrol in the southern province of Kandahar. Nato did not reveal the soldier's identity or nationality.) (Canadian)
Mr Blair said it was "frustrating" that some people did not recall the circumstances of the original deployment. "It came about as a result of 11 September, as a result of the need to drive the Taleban and al-Qaeda out of Afghanistan," he said.
Mr Fox said Mr Blair's offer of more help was meaningless. "When the prime minister says 'whatever they want they will get', it's now several months, for example, since the government promised to fit fuel-retardant foam into all the Hercules aircraft, and yet it hasn't been happening.," he said. "And when the prime minister says that we will send as many men as our commanders require, where are we going to get them from?"
Brig Jerry Thomas takes over command from Brig Butler on Sunday as the 3 Para Battle Group is replaced by the Royal Marines of 3 Commando Brigade.
Since 2006 the insurgency of the Taliban is intensifying.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/5416222.stm
(Een van de conclusies is dat Blair beloftes maakt die hij niet waar maakt. En inderdaad, er wordt al een hele tijd gevraagd om meer helikopters.)
British hire anti-Taliban mercenaries
8. October 2006, 15:39
By Christina Lamb, The Sunday Times BRITISH forces holed up in isolated outposts of Helmand province in Afghanistan are to be withdrawn over the next two to three weeks and replaced by newly formed tribal police who will be recruited by paying a higher rate than the Taliban. The move is the result of deals with war-weary locals and reverses the strategy of sending forces to establish “platoon houses” in the Taliban heartland where soldiers were left under siege and short of supplies because it was too dangerous for helicopters to fly in. Troops in the four northern districts of Sangin, Musa Qala, Nawzad and Kajaki have engaged in the fiercest fighting since the Korean war, tying up more than half the mission’s available combat force. All 16 British soldiers killed in the conflict died in these areas. “We were coming under as many as seven attacks a day,” said Captain Alex Mackenzie of the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment, who spent a month in Sangin. “We were firing like mad just to survive. It was deconstruction rather than reconstruction.” Lieutenant-General David Richards, commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan, has long been critical of tying up troops in static positions, while the British government has grown increasingly concerned that it was affecting public support for the mission. Since taking command of the British forces at the end of July, Richards has been looking for a way to pull them out without making it look like a victory for the Taliban. “I am confident that in two to three weeks the securing of the districts will be achieved through a different means,” he said. “Most of the British troops will then be able to be redeployed to tasks which will facilitate rapid and visible reconstruction and development, which we’ve got to do this winter to prove we can not only fight but also deliver what people need.” The districts will be guarded by new auxiliary police made up of local militiamen. They will initially receive $70 (Ł37) a month, although it is hoped that this will rise to $120 to compete with the $5 per fighting day believed to be paid by the Taliban. “These are the same people who two weeks ago would have been vulnerable to be recruited as Taliban fighters,” said Richards. “It’s employment they want and we need to make sure we pay more than the Taliban.” The withdrawal of the British troops will coincide with the departure of 3 Para, whose six-month deployment is coming to an end. The battalion will be replaced by Royal Marines from 3 Commando Brigade who started arriving last week. Locals in these districts are fed up with the fighting that has led to the destruction of many homes, bazaars and a school. A delegation of more than 20 elders from Musa Qala met President Hamid Karzai on Wednesday evening and demanded to be allowed to look after their own security. “The British troops brought nothing but fighting,” they complained. They pledged that if allowed to appoint their own police chief and district chief, they would keep out the Taliban. The other crucial factor has been Nato’s success last month in inflicting the heaviest defeat on the Taliban since their regime fell five years ago. The two-week Operation Medusa in the Panjwayi district of Kandahar province left between 1,100 and 1,500 Taliban dead, many of whom were believed to be committed fighters rather than guns for hire. “Militarily it was against the odds — it was only because the Taliban were silly enough to take us on in strength when we had superior firepower and because of very, very brave fighting on the part of Americans, Canadians, British and Dutch, as well as the Afghan national army,” said Richards. The Taliban, emboldened by their successes in Helmand, had changed their strategy from hit-and-run tactics to a frontal attack, apparently intending to try to take the key city of Kandahar. They had taken advantage of a change of command of foreign troops in the south from American to Canadian and eventually Nato to move large amounts of equipment and men into the Panjwayi district southwest of the city. The area was a stronghold of the mujaheddin during the Russian occupation and contains secret tunnels and grape-drying houses amid orchards and vineyards alongside the Argandab River. After initial setbacks, including the crash of a British Nimrod aircraft in which 14 servicemen died and an incident in which an American A10 bomber strafed Canadian forces, killing one and wounding 35, Nato forces turned the situation around. Wave after wave of Taliban arriving on pick-ups to join the fight were mown down. More than 100 are believed to have been captured and reports from Quetta in neighbouring Pakistan suggest that Mullah Mohammed Omar, the Taliban leader, has instructed his men to return to their old guerrilla tactics.
http://www.afghannews.net/index.php?action=show&type=news&id=1295
A delegation of more than 20 elders from Musa Qala met President Hamid Karzai on Wednesday evening and demanded to be allowed to look after their own security. “The British troops brought nothing but fighting,” they complained. They pledged that if allowed to appoint their own police chief and district chief, they would keep out the Taliban.
Zoals u hoort brengt u daar niets dan oorlog, mijn beste Kamp. Maar van wederhoor lijkt u in uw berichtgeving nog nooit te hebben gehoord.
Maar nu heeft u ook werk gemaakt voor de mensen:
“It’s employment they want and we need to make sure we pay more than the Taliban.”
Ahha, op deze manier schept u dus werk voor de locale bevolking.
Mijn beste kamp, in operatie Medusa, lees maar, heeft u 1.000 tot 1.500 sloebers vermoord! Wat een succes Kamp! Geweldig. Velen voor u zouden het niet beter hebben kunnen doen.
'Afghaanse 'huursoldaten' voor rugdekking Nederlanders'
(Telegraaf 09-10-2006)
GHAZNI/LONDEN - Britse troepen in het noorden van de Afghaanse provincie Helmand zullen worden teruggetrokken en moeten worden vervangen door Afghaanse 'huursoldaten'. In de hoop dat ze loyaal blijven aan de Afghaanse regering krijgen ze voor hun dienst in het als uiterst gevaarlijk te boek staande gebied een extra toelage, meldt de Britse krant The Times maandag.
De evacuatie door de Britten van de districten Musa Qala, Now Zad, Sangin en Kajaki betekent dat de Nederlandse militairen in de aangrenzende provincie Uruzgan er mogelijk een gevaarlijk achterland bij krijgen. De districten liggen allemaal tussen de 50 en 100 kilometer van de Nederlandse bases in Deh Rawod en Tarin Kowt.
Nederland heeft geen problemen met de overdracht van dit gebied. Volgens een woordvoerder van het ministerie van Defensie in Den Haag hoort dit bij de strategie zoals de NAVO die voor heel Afghanistan heeft bedacht. Zones waar ISAF-eenheden zitten, zijn stabiel. Dat betekent dat andere gebieden minder veilig zijn. Het is de bedoeling dat de ISAF de stabiele invloed langzaam in de regio uitbreidt. Dat gebeurt ook vanuit Tarin Kowt en Deh Rawod.
Deze zogeheten strategie van de inktvlekwerking wordt nu ook in de 'Britse' gebieden ingevoerd. Voorheen waren Britse troepen verspreid over een groot riskant gebied. De Britten trekken zich nu uit een deel terug om zich te concentreren in een kleinere zone. Het is aan de Afghanen zelf wie zij in de gevaarlijker gebieden inschakelen tegen de Taliban.
De gouverneur van Helmand waarschuwt in The Times dat de terugtrekking de Taliban in de kaart speelt. „We hebben niet genoeg politiemensen of soldaten om de Britten te vervangen. Deze plaatsen liggen op de smokkelroute. Als ze uit het gebied vertrekken zullen de Taliban sterker worden”, aldus Amir Mohammad Akhunzada.
Volgens The Times komt het maandinkomen van de 'huurlingen' drie keer zo hoog te liggen als dat van Afghaanse militairen elders in Helmand en krijgen ze ongeveer net zoveel als Taliban-strijders. Reguliere militairen in Helmand krijgen gemiddeld omgerekend 95 euro per maand.
De Britse terugtrekking uit het noorden van Helmand is volgens officieren ingegeven door het streven troepen vrij te maken om de reconstructie in grote bevolkingscentra ter hand te kunnen nemen. Commandanten zeggen dat er wel een mobiele brigade in het leven wordt geroepen die snel waar dan ook in de provincie kan worden ingezet in de strijd tegen de Taliban.
http://www.telegraaf.nl/buitenland/51220371/_Afghaanse__huursoldaten__voor_rugdekking_Nederlanders_.html
De Britten en ISAF hebben dus eerst een enorm offensief, Operatie Medusa, uitgevoerd om Helmand “veilig” te maken, en nu trekken ze zich terug. Britse militaire critici lieten al eerder geluiden horen dat de strategie, een leger versnipperd over verschillende kleine locaties, geen goede strategie is. Ook voerden de Britten al geheime onderhandelingen met vertegenwoordigers van de districten over een staakt-het-vuren.
Het is nu maar de vraag hoe de commandanten van de Nederlanders en de Canadezen hierop zullen reageren, en naar welke bevolkingscentra de Britten zullen gaan.
Dit zal door de Taliban als een overwinning worden gezien. Hierdoor kan hun aanhang groeien
NAVO: minder geweld opstandelingen in zuiden
(telegraaf; 08-10-2006)
KABUL - Het aantal aanvallen van opstandelingen in het zuiden van Afghanistan is de afgelopen maand gehalveerd. De incidenten die plaatsvonden, waren ook minder fel dan voorheen.
Dat maakte een woordvoerder van de door de NAVO geleide internationale troepenmacht zondag bekend. Begin september was er sprake van intensieve gevechten. Inmiddels gaat het om korte schotenwisselingen.
De zegsman benadrukte dat de rebellerende Taliban-extremisten nog steeds een gevaarlijke bedreiging vormen. De NAVO-macht sluit een stijging van het aantal (zelfmoord-)aanslagen niet uit.
http://www.telegraaf.nl/buitenland/51196751/NAVO:_minder_geweld_opstandelingen_in_zuiden.html
Begin september was er sprake van felle gevechten. Op 2 september begon de NAVO-operatie Medusa in het zuiden van Afghanistan. Het lijkt dus niet anders dan vanzelfsprekend dat er toen felle gevechten waren.
Blair roasts critics five years into Afghanistan mission
7. October 2006, 01:51
AFP - British Prime Minister Tony Blair took a swipe at critics of the British military mission in Afghanistan, five years on from the start of operations to oust the Taliban regime from power there. Blair acknowledged that British forces were facing a tough fight in tackling resurgent Taliban rebels. But he insisted the mission by British and other NATO forces was vital to prevent Afghanistan falling back into the grip of the Taliban and the Al-Qaeda terror network, and becoming a terrorist training ground once again. "I think the morale of our troops carrying this out is actually high, but they get fed up -- and so does everyone else -- when it's all presented in a negative light when actually what they're doing there is of fundamental importance to the country," Blair said on Friday. He told the British Forces Broadcasting Service that British soldiers were winning a hard battle against Taliban fighters. Forty British forces personnel have died since the start of operations in Afghanistan. "It's been very, very tough, it was always going to be tough. Whenever you go into a battlefield situation like that, there are always things that you learn, there are always things that come at you in a more intense way then you expect. "The Taliban are fighting them hard and fortunately, since they're up against the British troops, and our troops are fighting brilliantly, we are winning that," Blair said. He also pledged that the government would provide the resources that officers in Afghanistan felt we necessary to keep the Taliban at bay. "If the commanders on the ground want more equipment, armoured vehicles for example, more helicopters, that will be provided. Whatever package they want we will do," he said. (The southern Helmand province, where the bulk of about 4,500 British troops in Afghanistan are deployed, has seen heavy fighting this year with officials saying the Taliban and drugs lords appear to be in cahoots.) (Opolbaarheid)
http://www.afghannews.net/index.php?action=show&type=news&id=1286
ISAF Stage 4
British soldiers prepare for tough Afghan winter
7. October 2006, 01:52
By Richard Norton-Taylor, The Guardian British troops in Afghanistan face the prospect of fighting the Taliban throughout the winter, senior Whitehall officials warned yesterday, making it clear that military operations there were entering a crucial stage. As a British general took command of an expanded Nato force - including 12,000 American soldiers - which will now operate throughout Afghanistan - the officials warned against assuming the Taliban would stop fighting over the winter months and wait until next spring to resume its campaign. "Climatically in Helmand there is not snow, there are no high mountain passes," said a senior Foreign Office official, referring to the southern Afghan province that will be the base for 4,500 British soldiers, including the Royal Marines' 3 Commando Brigade, for the next six months. "It must therefore be conceivable to see continuing operations throughout the winter."
The official also warned that a truce brokered by local tribal leaders in the Musa Qala district - in the north of Helmand province, where British troops have taken their heaviest casualties - remained fragile. "It is a very fragile and precarious process," he said. "The understanding that the tribal elders have made with the Taliban could break down at any time." (Opium)
(Officials said that the opium poppy crop had increased by 160% this year in Helmand, the source of much of the heroin that ends up in British streets. Preparing the fields for next year's harvest has now started."The acid test will be next year's crop," a senior Ministry of Defence official said. British military commanders have made it plain that their role is to provide security and build up the country's infrastructure, and not take part in counter-narcotics operations. That, they say, is the job of the Afghan security forces and other international agencies.) (Stage 4)
Yesterday, a Nato force of about 30,000 international troops took over responsibility for security in eastern Afghanistan as well as the other three geographical regions in a move its commander, David Richards - who was promoted to the rank of a four-star general, the highest in the British army - described as historic. However, British officials said his repeated requests for more helicopters, badly needed by British and other forces, still had not been met. (Refugees)
Tony Blair defended the British mission after a report from the UN refugee agency said that the fighting in southern Afghanistan had driven some 90,000 people from their homes. "Sure, there are people in Afghanistan who are suffering as a result of the fighting. But they suffered a lot more under the Taliban," the prime minister said. (Taliban and al-Qaida)
"We do not want al-Qaida and Taliban back in power in Afghanistan, using it as a training ground for terrorism around the world. Because of the way the world is today, and because of this global terrorist threat, it's important that we have the capability and also the political will to go into places like Afghanistan and sort things out." (Support wounded troops)
Defence minister Derek Twigg yesterday announced a limited welfare support package for wounded British troops, including allowances for families visiting service personnel in hospital, and a Ł5 daily allowance for soldiers recovering in hospital. The move comes amid increasing criticism of the conditions and medical treatment available to wounded British troops. Existing separation allowances and at-sea bonuses will also be extended to cover personnel who are in hospital, Mr Twigg said. Other measures include free delivery of Christmas parcels and improved access to broadband internet, television, and library facilities. A special military ward at Selly Oak hospital in Birmingham will be announced later. The MoD said earlier this week that soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan would be exempt from income tax or given equivalent pay rises as part of a forthcoming armed forces salaries review.
http://www.afghannews.net/index.php?action=show&type=news&id=1287
(De Britten kunnen blij zijn met het verbond dat ze hebben gesloten in Musa Qalat. Naar het zich laat aanzien gaat de oorlog in Afghanistan een erg lange strijd worden, waarbij veel slachtoffers vallen.)
(Q&A: Achtergronden)
Q&A: UK troops in Afghanistan
(BBC News 07-10-2006)
British troops are in Afghanistan as part of an international operation to bring stability to the country.
How many British troops are in Afghanistan?
There are currently 5,500 troops deployed in the country, with that figure rising to 5,800 in October. Of those already in Afghanistan, 1,300 are in Kabul and 4,200 are in the southern province of Helmand.
Which units are involved?
In February 2006, an advance party of 850 personnel from 39 Regiment, Royal Engineers and 42 Commando, Royal Marines, with three Chinook helicopters, went to the southern province of Helmand.
The main deployment of troops which followed is based around units from the 16th Air Assault Brigade, including the 3rd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment.
It is backed by:
Eight Apache attack helicopters from 9 Regiment, Army Air Corps
Four Lynx light helicopters, also from 9 Regiment
Six Chinook support helicopters from 27 Squadron, RAF
Scimitar and Spartan armoured vehicles from the Household Cavalry Regiment
A battery of 105mm Light Guns from the 7th Parachute Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery
Some 320 engineers from 28 Regiment, Royal Engineers, are working on local infrastructure projects.
Troops from 3 Commando Brigade, Royal Marines are protecting the engineers. An infantry company from Second Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, and two platoons from First Battalion, The Royal Irish Regiment, are also acting as force protection.
There are also six Harrier jump jets based in Kandahar. Other units are serving in the force's headquarters.
The extra troops, being sent to Afghanistan between July and October, mean more support helicopters are being sent to Afghanistan, as well as another Lockheed C130 Hercules transport plane.
Where are they stationed?
The bulk of British troops are in Helmand but there are also about 1,000 personnel at the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) headquarters in the capital, Kabul, plus 300 more assigned to support and training duties in Kabul.
Why are they there?
They are there to help train Afghan security forces, facilitate reconstruction, and provide security.
In Helmand, the emphasis is also on counter-narcotics, as the province is the "largest single source of opium in Afghanistan".
Helmand is the 'largest single source of opium' in Afghanistan
As 90% of heroin comes from Afghanistan, so hitting the trade at its source is seen as key.
But over the last few months, the situation in the north of the province has turned increasingly violent, with British troops involved in fierce firefights against the Taleban and anti-coalition militia (ACM).
Troops have been involved in clashes in the towns of Sangin, Musa Qaleh, Kajaki and Nawzad.
The level of Taleban resistance has been significant, but British military officials insist they have won every clash.
The three-year mission will cost £1bn
Are British troops operating alone?
No, they are part of the Nato-led Isaf force, which is a United Nations-mandated organisation.
Nato took over command and coordination of Isaf in August 2003.
The Isaf mission is currently under the control of Briton Lt Gen David Richards, who took over in May. There are currently 31,000 Isaf troops in Afghanistan.
These are being backed by 28,600 Afghan troops and also 30,200 Afghan policemen - all of whom are described as "fully equipped and trained" by the MoD.
What areas does Nato control?
Nato has troops across Afghanistan.
It took over total control of Afghan security in the eastern provinces, which had been under the control of US, in October.
Prior to that, Isaf already commanded troops in the north, west and south of Afghanistan, as well as Kabul.
Nato's expanded role brought 14 provinces under its control.
The 37-nation Isaf said the US would retain control of some 8,000 of its troops for their "counter-terrorism" role and for training Afghan police and soldiers.
How much influence does the Taleban have in Helmand?
There are reported to be several hundred Taleban fighters on the ground in the area and it is thought there has been plenty of recruiting going on among the local population.
This is primarily done among disaffected youths or through paying people to join their ranks. One explanation is that people feel the Afghan government has not offered them enough help or security.
Another factor is that the conservative views held in southern Afghanistan are in line with what motivated the Taleban - which was formed in that region.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/5128276.stm
(6-9 Achtergrond)
Betrayed: How we have failed our troops in Afghanistan
3. October 2006, 10:26
By Francis Elliott, Marie Woolf and Raymond Whitaker The Independent - Britain's most senior military chiefs warned John Reid not to commit UK troops to "a war on two fronts" in Iraq and Afghanistan more than 18 months ago, The Independent on Sunday can reveal. Despite clear advice that a "significant" withdrawal of troops from Iraq was needed before a new mission, Mr Reid went ahead with the Afghan deployment after coming under pressure from Tony Blair. The advice, prepared by military planners and endorsed by the Chiefs of the Defence Staff, was given to Mr Reid on his arrival as Secretary of State for Defence in May last year. Despite the warnings, he went ahead with the deployment in January. Mr Reid was accused last night of having taken "a gamble" by the Conservative spokesman on foreign affairs as the political and military fall-out from the conflict continues to grow. The present Secretary of State for Defence, Des Browne, has been forced to deny persistent reports that military chiefs are pressing for significant withdrawals from Iraq in order to shore up the Afghanistan operation. On the eve of the fifth anniversary of the war this Saturday, stark new evidence of the suffering being endured by British troops on the ground emerged in a series of leaked emails published in The Mail on Sunday. They amount to a harrowing account of terrified soldiers tormented by heat and sandflies engaged in brutal combat with Taliban fighters. One soldier wrote: "You see the Taliban cutting around on dirtbikes, their weapons in one hand, their kids in the other. They think we will not shoot them. There have been some terrible incidents. It is horrible to kill a kid, nothing could prepare you for it." (Zie eerder al het artikel “Deployment to Afghan hell” voor een geode typering van de situatie in Helmand).In another email, also sent by a member of 3 Para, a rescue operation is described in vivid detail. "I could not believe we were going to charge off this helicopter into a wall of lead. Not everyone wanted to get off, one guy actually defecated." The operation came too late for the French forces who had been ambushed by the Taliban. One of the Afghan survivors said the French had been tied up then gutted alive by the Taliban. "It is one of the most shocking things I have ever heard," said the British soldier. The MoD has been accused of seeking to censor reporting from the front line, but a spokesman last night welcomed what he described as "these gritty, hard-hitting reports". "The 3 Para battle group has performed magnificently in extremely difficult circumstances. We salute them." (Mooie woorden van die woordvoerder, hebben de soldaten veel aan!)(-) Meanwhile, a detailed statistical analysis of the mission, obtained by this newspaper, shows British soldiers fighting in Afghanistan are dying at six times the rate of those engaged in combat in Iraq. Forty UK soldiers have been killed and 86 wounded in Afghanistan since 2001. (Deze studie is afkomstig van een Canadese antropologe?)
(-) Britain has nearly 5,000 troops in Afghanistan and 900 more on the way. Around 7,500 UK troops are serving in Iraq. Keith Simpson, the Conservativespokesman on the Middle East, said: "It is clear that Reid took what he probably regarded as a low-risk gamble." A spokesman for the Home Secretary failed to deny that planning assumptions for the Afghanistan mission in May 2005 involved a significant withdrawal of troops from Iraq. "The force package for Nato was not finalised at that time," he said. Britain's most senior military chiefs warned John Reid not to commit UK troops to "a war on two fronts" in Iraq and Afghanistan more than 18 months ago, The Independent on Sunday can reveal. (de strekking van het artikel in de lead)http://www.afghannews.net/index.php?action=show&type=news&id=1275
British troops in secret truce with the Taliban
3. October 2006, 10:24
By Michael Smith, The Sunday Times BRITISH troops battling the Taliban are to withdraw from one of the most dangerous areas of Afghanistan after agreeing a secret deal with the local people. Over the past two months British soldiers have come under sustained attack defending a remote mud-walled government outpost in the town of Musa Qala in southern Afghanistan. Eight have been killed there. It has now been agreed the troops will quietly pull out of Musa Qala in return for the Taliban doing the same. The compound is one of four district government offices in the Helmand province that are being guarded by British troops. Although soldiers on the ground may welcome the agreement, it is likely to raise new questions about troop deployment. Last month Sir Richard Dannatt, the new head of the British Army, warned that soldiers in Afghanistan were fighting at the limit of their capacity and could only “just” cope with the demands. When British troops were first sent to Afghanistan it was hoped they would help kick-start the country’s reconstruction. But under pressure from President Hamid Karzai they were forced to defend Afghan government “district centres” at Musa Qala, Sangin, Nowzad and Kajaki. The move — opposed by Lieutenant-General David Richards, the Nato commander in Afghanistan — turned the four remote British bases into what Richards called “magnets” for the Taliban. All 16 of the British soldiers killed in action in southern Afghanistan have died at Musa Qala, Sangin or Nowzad. The soldiers risk sniper fire and full-scale assaults from experienced Taliban fighters who can then blend into the local population after each attack. The peace deal in Musa Qala was first mooted by representatives of the town’s 2,000-strong population. About 400 people living in the immediate area of the district centre compound have been forced to evacuate their homes, most of which have been destroyed in the fighting. Brigadier Ed Butler, the commander of the British taskforce, flew into Musa Qala 18 days ago, guarded only by his military police close-protection team, to attend a shura, or council of town elders, to negotiate a withdrawal. Butler was taken in a convoy to the shura in the desert southeast of Musa Qala where the carefully formulated proposals were made. The British commander said that he was prepared to back a “cessation of fighting” if they could guarantee that the Taliban would also leave. The deal — and the avoidance of the word ceasefire — allows both sides to disengage without losing face, an important aspect in the Afghan psyche. Polls suggest that 70% of the population are waiting to see whether Nato or the Taliban emerge as the dominant force before they decide which to back. Fighting in Afghanistan traditionally takes place in the summer and there are concerns that the Taliban could simply use the “cessation of fighting” to regroup and attack again next year. But there are clear signs of the commitment of the people of Musa Qala to the deal, with one Talib who stood out against it reportedly lynched by angry locals. “There is always a risk,” one officer said. “But if it works, it will provide a good template for the rest of Helmand. The people of Sangin are already saying they want a similar deal.” (x) There is frustration among many British troops that they have been unable to help on reconstruction projects because they have been involved in intense fighting. An e-mail from one officer published this weekend said: “We are not having an effect on the average Afghan. “At the moment we are no better than the Taliban in their eyes, as all they can see is us moving into an area, blowing things up and leaving, which is very sad.” (x) The Ministry of Defence announced this weekend that 10 British soldiers had been seriously injured in fighting in the last few days of August, bringing the total number of troops seriously injured in the country this year to 23. A total of 29 British servicemen have lost their lives in southern Afghanistan in the past two months, including 14 who died when their Nimrod reconnaissance aircraft crashed on September 2. (x) A new poll published last week revealed a lack of public confidence over the deployment of troops in Afghanistan. According to the BBC poll, 53% of people opposed the use of British troops in the region. (zie verderop hieronder voor de resultaten van deze poll).
http://www.afghannews.net/index.php?action=show&type=news&id=1274
(Er zijn dus geheime bondgenootschappen, of wapenstilstanden te bereiken met de locale bevolking of de Taliban)
British troops defend Afghan 'Alamo'
By Alastair Leithead BBC News, with British troops in Afghanistan
British forces in Helmand province are continuing to come under attack by Taleban fighters using guerrilla tactics. So how are they bearing up?
The three Chinook transport helicopters skimmed low over the sand dunes, spewing out flares to counter incoming fire as they dropped out of the setting sun into the landing zone. Clouds of dust whipped up by the rotor blades confused the senses as the Royal Marines began the 100 metre dash down the lowering ramp, over uneven ground into the relative safety of the compound.
Echoing along the river valley was the crump of outgoing mortar fire, followed by the distant thud as the rounds landed in the known Taleban positions the British troops were targeting.
Artillery shells fizzed overhead - fired from kilometres away, and Apache attack helicopters circled menacingly - all to protect the three helicopters and their fresh deployment of Marines brought in to relieve the men of the 3 Para Battlegroup.
Sangin is one of the toughest outposts on the front line in Helmand province.
For months a small force of British troops has been protecting the local government district centre from wave after wave of Taleban attack. This was the start of an operation to bring the men who had defended it home.
Chinook helicopters often come under fire from the Taleban
One soldier called it "the Alamo" as they have taken fire from every direction, have had to defend hard just to survive, and at times supplies have been slow in coming, forcing them to live off emergency rations and purified river water.
The quiet of the clear night sky was first broken by the eerie calls to prayer, melting together into one as they drifted up the shallow valley.
Another day of Ramadan and a sound that has started every day for centuries, but crouching behind the sandbags and firing positions in the British base, it was a stark reminder of how the war on terror is becoming a clash between Islam and the West.
A deep bass rumbled in the distance as the Chinooks swept over the desert from the main British base at Camp Bastion and came into land further up the wadi.
They dipped down and within minutes the men were out on the ground, the helicopters gone and the sun allowed to rise quietly over the ruins of Sangin market - battered by the weeks of fighting and bombing.
Slowly but surely the Paras moved through the woods and compounds, securing the area for the main airlift out later in the day.
After a few hours of gradual progress they met resistance - first came the crack of small arms fire from the woods, then the heavy machine gun from the Apache helicopter, the mortars started up once again and the fighting intensified.
Military manoeuvres have to be carefully planned
There was the whine of an American A10 bomber diving and a laser-guided bomb struck just ahead of the troops on the ground. Then the incoming fire came from another direction.
Three rocket propelled grenades struck the front of the building, just below our vantage point on the roof - there was incoming small arms fire - for half an hour the fighting was on three sides.
Then came a lull - enough to send the helicopters in, and the now bearded soldiers of 3 Para Battlegroup made final preparations to leave.
Intense fighting
Some had spent more than five weeks here sleeping on the floor in the dust and the insects, living off ration packs and fighting for hours every day in "the most intense fighting since the Korean War" to quote the NATO commander.
"Well, it's the worst place I've been to," said Corporal Trevor Coult of the Royal Irish Regiment - he has been awarded a Military Cross in Iraq.
It's worse than Baghdad. It makes Baghdad look like a walk in the park compared to her
Corporal Trevor Coult
"It's worse than Baghdad. It makes Baghdad look like a walk in the park compared to here."
Private Denaiewicz from 3 Para described what it had been like. "Constant attack day and night from rocket propelled grenades, small arms fire. I think we are making a difference," he said, "but it will be a long time before we make a major impact on everything."
Two soldiers were injured in the mission - one seriously - his next of kin have been informed. They were taken away for treatment on the first helicopter to fly in.
The precautionary mortars and artillery started up again and the soldiers packed into the back of the Chinooks - their tour of duty in Sangin over.
The Marines will now bear the brunt of the fighting, in a mission which was supposed to be about security, development and winning the hearts and minds of the people, but which has increasingly been bogged down in the south fighting a guerrilla war against the Taleban.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5395034.stm
UK TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN
LATEST NEWS
UK troops 'need more helicopters'
Blair promises 'more for troops'
Blair defends Nato's Afghan role
Anne meets troops in Afghanistan
RAF footage released
FEATURES
Afghan 'Alamo' UK forces still under sustained and intense attack by Taleban forces
A mother's fears for son
BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
UK soldiers face difficult battle
Afghan mission under pressure
Reaching a turning point
UK forces deaths in Afghanistan
Q&A: Troop deployment
In depth: Afghanistan's future
UK majority 'oppose Afghan fight'
(BBC: 29-09-2006) (x)
Most people in the UK oppose British military operations in Afghanistan, a survey conducted for the BBC suggests.
UK TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN
53% oppose British military operations
31% support the UK's presence
63% think troops are helping to battle the Taleban
71% believe soldiers are part of the fight against al-Qaeda
46% claim the military is trying to stop the flow of drugs
Source: ICM poll for the PM programme on BBC Radio 4
Nato chief defends plans
Only 31% support the decision to deploy 5,000 troops to fight the Taleban, while 53% of the population are against the move, according to the ICM poll. Nato is extending its mission to cover the whole of the insurgency-hit nation.
Meanwhile Defence Secretary Des Browne has rebuffed reports that commanders wanted soldiers withdrawn from Iraq to bolster the UK presence in Afghanistan. "My view, and military commanders share this view, is that we have a vital job to do in Iraq. We have a responsibility to the Iraqi people. "There is no division between us and military commanders about what we are doing at the moment," Mr Browne told BBC Radio 4's The World at One.
Currently Britain has nearly 5,000 troops in Afghanistan - including 3,600 in the violent Helmand province - with a further 900 on the way. A separate development will see the 12,000 US troops involved in Operation Enduring Freedom - a mission in Afghanistan which is separate to the Nato deployment - coming under Nato control. The decision will give the alliance a total of 32,000 soldiers.
Asked why British troops were fighting in Afghanistan, 63% said it was to help the Afghan government fight the Taleban. Some 71% believed it was part of the international fight against al-Qaeda, while 46% thought they were focusing on cutting the supply of drugs from the country. Mr Browne said he believed support for British military operations would increase "as we begin to see the results and improvements" of spreading the Nato force to all areas of Afghanistan.
'Spike of activity'
Conservative MP Mark Lancaster, a Territorial Army reservist who was called up to serve as a Royal Engineer for a two-month spell in Afghanistan, said the recent focus of the media had been on the "spike of activity" in Helmand. "There's been very little coverage in the media of the reconstruction and development side," he told the PM programme on BBC Radio 4. "Progress is being made, but it's slow." He also thought British forces were going to be in Afghanistan for "a very long time" and there should be "some political honesty on that".
But Nato secretary general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer warned that the mission in Afghanistan cannot be allowed to fail. "Do please realise the consequences of Nato not being there, Nato failing and Afghanistan becoming the black hole, the hotbed for terrorism training and human rights abuses. "The consequences of such a situation would be felt in London," he told The World at One, "because it [Afghanistan] would again be a nation which was exporting terrorism. "We have to stay the course - we will stay the course and we will prevail."
The poll, commissioned by PM, saw 1,011 adults questioned over the past two days.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/5393030.stm
- Gaat Jaap de Hoop Scheffer alle landen aanpakken waar de mensenrechten geschonden zouden worden? Dan zou hij pas echt consequent bezig zijn. De vraag is verder of er niet tal van andere landen zijn waar terroristen hun trainingskampen hebben, en of deze aanval op Afghanistan niet alleen maar het effect heeft dat terrorisme juist steeds meer aangewakkerd wordt.
UK to send RAF jet to Afghanistan
(BBC: 20-09-2006)
The UK is to send another Royal Air Force fighter jet to Afghanistan, Defence Secretary Des Browne has said.
The move is a response to a "surge" in demand for close air support from British and other international troops fighting the Taleban, said a statement. It brings to seven the number of British Harriers in Afghanistan. They are based at the Kandahar airfield. It was intended to be a temporary deployment "kept under constant review", said Mr Browne.
Deadly violence
British troops, as part of the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force, have been battling Taleban fighters in southern Afghanistan after taking over from a US-led coalition in July. About 4,000 UK troops are in Helmand.
The area is where most of Afghanistan's opium production is concentrated, and sees regular deadly violence blamed on Taleban fighters or drug lords. The total number of UK troops killed while on operations in Afghanistan since 2001 now stands at 40.
BBC correspondent Alistair Leithead, in Kabul, said unlike in Iraq, troops in Afghanistan were actually "standing up and fighting and getting through tens of thousands of rounds with heavy machine guns". "It is very intense, very dangerous, and obviously very stressful for those people involved in it, given the difficulties of the terrain and the intensity of the fighting," said our correspondent.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/5357260.stm
Taleban fight 'hard but winnable'
(BBC News: 20-09-2006)
The threat posed by the Taleban in Afghanistan has been under-estimated, the UK defence secretary has admitted. Des Browne said the fight had been "even harder than we expected" but insisted Nato was pursuing a "noble cause" and its mission would succeed.
Addressing the Royal United Services Institute, he urged other Nato members to respond to a call for 2,500 extra troops for Afghanistan. The Nato force in the southern Helmand province includes some 4,000 UK troops.
"Nato nations must decide whether to back their investment, re-affirm their original intent and send a clear signal that Nato as an alliance is strong and determined to see the task through," Mr Browne said.
If we cannot persuade them to put down their guns, then we will struggle to make progress, and there will be a real danger that their deaths will motivate others
Des Browne, Defence Secretary
Quick guide: Taleban
Poland has already announced it will send 1,000 extra soldiers to Afghanistan next February, joining 100 already on the ground.
Meanwhile, Canada has promised its contribution to the Nato force will remain in Afghanistan. Foreign Minister Peter MacKay made the pledge after four Canadian soldiers were killed by a suicide bomber on Monday.
'Worth it'
Mr Browne said critics who cited the failure of the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in the 1980s and the British in the 1800s did not understand the nature of the mission. "We are not invading," Mr Browne said. "We are there at the invitation of a government which has legitimacy and support."
Mr Browne said security in the north and west of the country had brought "real change" with new schools and hospitals, more jobs and the return of refugees.
But he acknowledged "relatively little progress" had been made in the south, the traditional Taleban heartland and the area where most of Afghanistan's opium production is concentrated.
About 4,000 British soldiers are based in southern Afghanistan
"Success won't be what we understand to be security and prosperity and proper governance but it will be progress and it will be massively worth it," he said.
But he added: "The Taleban's tenacity in the face of massive losses has been a surprise, absorbing more of our effort than we predicted it would and consequently slowing progress on reconstruction."
UK troops have been involved in heavy fighting with the Taleban after taking over from a US-led coalition in southern Afghanistan in July. This month 19 servicemen have lost their lives, including 14 who died when an RAF Nimrod reconnaissance aircraft crashed.
'Diplomatic efforts'
Mr Browne said the Taleban were adept at forming "alliances of convenience" with drug barons and criminal gangs who recruited foot soldiers from among Afghan tribesmen.
They always hoped that it would not be quite as bad as it turned out to be
Liam Fox, shadow home secretary
"If we cannot persuade them to put down their guns, then we will struggle to make progress, and there will be a real danger that their deaths will motivate others to join the fight, and potentially turn this into a conflict of a different kind," Mr Browne said.
"But I do not believe we are at that stage."
He said Nato's progress rested on convincing ordinary people to "back peace, to back the view of the future represented by the Afghan government".
After the speech, Mr Browne called on neighbouring Pakistan to do more to prevent insurgents crossing into Afghanistan.
Later, shadow defence secretary Liam Fox told the BBC a "major diplomatic effort" involving the prime minister and foreign secretary was needed to put pressure on the UK's Nato allies to supply troops.
Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman Michael Moore suggested more British soldiers may have to be sent if Nato's request went unheeded.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/5358654.stm
UK 'underestimated' Taleban fight
19. September 2006, 01:01
BBC News - The threat posed by the Taleban in Afghanistan has been underestimated, the defence secretary is to admit. Des Browne is set to say that the fight against the Taleban has been "even harder than we expected". His speech to the Royal United Services Institute comes after 40 UK troops have died in Afghanistan since 2001. About 4,000 British soldiers are based in the southern Helmand province as part of a Nato-led International Security Assistance Force. 'Worth it' Mr Browne will say the Taleban's tenacity in the face of heavy losses has been a surprise. That has absorbed more effort than predicted and consequently slowed down progress on reconstruction in the country, he will add. The minister will use his London speech to remind other Nato states of their commitment to the operation in Afghanistan. BBC political correspondent Gary O'Donoghue says that is an indication that the government is losing patience with the failure of Nato to find extra troops to bolster those already in Helmand. Mr Browne is expected to say success in Afghanistan is still "some way off" but will be "massively worth it". British soldiers have been involved in heavy fighting in southern Afghanistan in recent weeks and 19 have lost their lives this month. UK troops have been battling Taleban fighters in southern Afghanistan after taking over from a US-led coalition in July. The area is where most of Afghanistan's opium production is concentrated and sees regular deadly violence blamed on Taleban fighters or drug lords.
http://www.afghannews.net/index.php?action=show&type=news&id=1194
4-9: Military supplies in Afghanistan being depleted
28. August 2006, 07:36
AFP - British military forces in Afghanistan are using up missiles, rockets and spare parts at a faster rate than expected, a newspaper has reported. The Daily Telegraph said Monday one unnamed officer in Afghanistan predicted that the stocks of weapons and components that were meant to last until April next year, may be depleted "well before Christmas". All eight British Apache helicopters are being flown on a daily basis, even though it was intended that only six should fly every day, the newspaper said. A number of them have been hit by Taliban shooters, but none have been seriously damaged. The defense ministry was given one billion pounds for the Afghanistan mission, money that is being used up at a much faster pace than expected, according to The Daily Telegraph's unnamed sources, and it may have to ask the Treasury for more money. (Wederhoor)
The defence ministry disputed the claims, however, with a spokeswoman telling AFP: "There's no problems with re-supply." "The force package in Afghanistan is a full and robust package which was asked for by commanders on the ground. They are content with the package." "Of course, its always kept under review."
(Oprolbaarheid, dit wordt keer op keer vermeld en loopt op)
(1) Some 21 British soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan -- 14 in combat -- since the start of operations against the Taliban in November 2001 following the September 11 attacks on the United States. (Bij de website van de BBC is ook een overzicht van wie het zijn)
(2) Some 4,000 British troops are currently in Helmand province, with the figure set to rise to around 4,500. A further 1,000 are in the capital Kabul and a few hundred are in the southern city of Kandahar.
(3) There are about 30,000 foreign troops from 30 countries in Afghanistan. (Welke 30 andere landen zijn dit?
(4) Although the Taliban were ousted from power five years ago, supporters of the extremist movement have this year stepped up attacks on foreign and Afghan troops.
http://www.afghannews.net/index.php?action=show&type=news&id=1071
Schrijfschema:
-Hoor: Het gebruik van wapens, de wapens raken op, volgens anonieme bronnen
-Wederhoor, het ministerie van Defensie: er zijn geen problemen met de herbevoorrading.
Oprolbaarheid
(1) Aantal gesneuvelden militairen, (2) hoeveelheid aanwezige militairen en waar ze zijn gelegerd,
(3) totaal aantal van 30 landen, (4) de Taliban voert het aantal aanvallen op.
Deze laatste 4 alinea’s kunnen weer veel verder uitgewerkt worden.
Bij ieder artikel een aanvulling maken, ditmaal informatie over de Apache. (Voor een bled: Een artikel over een gevechtshelikopter maakt op veel mensen indruk)
Britten in Afghanistan,
British soldier, 10 Taliban killed in Afghanistan attacks
27. August 2006, 01:29
AFP - A British soldier has been killed and another NATO soldier wounded in attacks in Afghanistan while police said they killed 10 Taliban who tried to capture a district headquarters.
Helmand/Musa QalaThe International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) soldier was killed in an insurgent attack in Helmand province, ISAF said in a statement. The Ministry of Defence in London announced the soldier was British. Most of the foreign troops in Helmand are with a British deployment of about 4,750. ISAF did not immediately release details of the attack, which the ministry said occurred in the north of the province at about 5:00 am. Helmand police said meanwhile that about 40 Taliban fighters late Saturday stormed the headquarters of Musa Qala district, also in the north of the province, sparking a three-hour gunfight in which 10 Taliban were killed. Police repelled the attack on the compound, which includes the office of the district governor and police, without casualties, provincial police chief Mohammad Nabi Mullahkhail told AFP. He said five Taliban bodies were left at the scene of the fighting and the rebels took five away with them. There have been several attacks in Musa Qala, where British forces last week took over from a Danish contingent that had come under near daily attack.
Kandahar
In a separate incident early Sunday, a base in Kandahar province came under mortar fire that wounded an ISAF soldier and six Afghans, the NATO-led force said without releasing the nationality of the foreign troop. A Canadian force of about 2,300 soldiers is based in Kandahar. The latest death takes to 81 the number of foreign soldiers who have died in hostile action in Afghanistan this year, including 12 ISAF troops killed in the south since the NATO force took command of the area from a US-led coalition on July 31. (cijfer van 81 was eerst ook 90)(Oprolbaarheid, wordt steeds vermeld)
The 10,000-strong ISAF force in the south, on the alliance's most ambitious military mission, have faced a barrage of attacks since moving into the hostile area. Commanders have said they need more troops and equipment to confront a stiffer than expected resistance from the Taliban, whom experts say are working with drugs barons and other players who profit from lawlessness. (Oprolbaarheid)
A coalition led by the United States removed the Taliban from power in 2001 when the hardliners did not hand over Osama bin Laden after the September 11 attacks. An insurgency launched by the extremists has been growing in strength, peaking this year with a more sophisticated attacks on military forces accompanying a stepped-up campaign of suicide and roadside bombings. At a rough estimate, about 1,500 people have been killed in violence this year, around 1,000 of them rebels. Verklaring Abizaid
The head of US forces in parts of Africa and the Middle East, General John Abizaid, said during a visit Saturday that while the Taliban would be able to continue mounting their campaign thanks to their foreign sources of income, it was unlikely their action would prove to be "decisive" The rebels had taken heavy casualties and had not "exerted control for any substantial period of time in any major population area," Abizaid told reporters. "Certainly they managed to take some district capitals for short periods of time, but those have been largely media victories and not military victories," he said.
http://www.afghannews.net/index.php?action=show&type=news&id=1068
Commandanten verzoeken steeds om versterkingen
(Oprolbaarheid, wordt steeds vermeld)
The 10,000-strong ISAF force in the south, on the alliance's most ambitious military mission, have faced a barrage of attacks since moving into the hostile area. Commanders have said they need more troops and equipment to confront a stiffer than expected resistance from the Taliban, whom experts say are working with drugs barons and other players who profit from lawlessness.
Kandahar (,,,)
Seven insurgents killed in British strike in Afghanistan
26. August 2006, 03:07
AFP - British forces killed about seven insurgents in an air strike on a convoy of rebels preparing to attack NATO forces in southern Afghanistan. Helmand
Seven vehicles were destroyed in the strike on Friday in the southern province of Helmand, NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said in a statement Saturday. An ISAF spokesman said the convoy of fighting men was manoeuvring into position to attack troops in the Musa Qala area of the province. After their hostile intent was confirmed and the forces had made sure there were no civilians present, "ISAF forces bombed the convoy and destroyed seven vehicles," he said. "Based on fresh intelligence, the strike was ordered after positive identification by British-led ISAF forces conducting ongoing security of operations in the area," an ISAF statement said. The artillery strike was also believed to have "disabled an insurgent vehicle, with three vehicles escaping", it said. Police in the volatile southern province of Helmand confirmed the strike, saying they believed 10 vehicles were destroyed in the convoy and all of the occupants had been killed. The ISAF forces "bombed them and destroyed their vehicles and killed all the Taliban in the 10 pick-up trucks," provincial police chief Mohammad Nabi Mullahkhail said. "We don't know the exact number of Taliban dead." A purported Taliban spokesman said fighters with the movement had not been planning an attack in the area.
(Achtergrond, opnieuw locatie en troepenaantal Britten)The bulk of a British force of about 4,500 troops in Afghanistan is based in Helmand where they have encountered stiff resistance from rebels, who may include Taliban fighters or opium runners who in the key drug-producing area. (Denemarken)
British and Afghan troops replaced a Danish contingent of 100 troops at a base in Musa Qala in the past few days. The base had suffered daily Taliban attacks, a spokesman for the operational command of the Danish armed forces said in Copenhagen on Thursday, adding that the turnaround was routine. (Overname commando door ISAF (schrappen))
ISAF took over command of international troops in the southern provinces of Afghanistan on July 31 more than doubling the number of soldiers in the area to around 10,000 with the main deployments from Britain, Canada and The Netherlands. The coalition maintains a counter-insurgency force in the area but is focusing its efforts on Taliban strongholds in the east of the country, where it says it has arrested or killed several Al-Qaeda operatives in the past weeks. (Oprolbaarheid, laatste alinea is vrijwel altijd hetzelfde in het nieuws)
The Taliban were toppled in late 2001 and are now leading an insurgency that has left more than 1,500 people dead this year at a rough estimate -- more than 1,000 of them rebels.
http://www.afghannews.net/index.php?action=show&type=news&id=1065
BritteninAfghanistanookAchtergrond
British soldier killed in Afghanistan: defence ministry
20. August 2006, 14:19
AFP - A British soldier has been killed and three injured in fighting in Afghanistan, a spokesman for Britain's ministry of defence (MoD) said. The soldier, whose identity has not been released, died from injuries sustained during fighting. Three other British soldiers suffered minor wounds. "It is with deep regret that the MoD can confirm the death of a British soldier from the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment during a contact in Sangin, northern Helmand province, at around noon today local time," the spokesman said. The soldier's family has been informed, and have requested a 24-hour grace period before further information is released. Britain's Defence Secretary Des Browne expressed his regrets over the death. "I was deeply saddened to be informed of the death today of a British soldier and the injuries of three others as they supported the NATO mission in Afghanistan," Browne said. "I wish to express my sincere condolences to their families and friends. "My thoughts are with them at this difficult time." (How it happened)
The soldiers, who were part of the NATO security force in Afghanistan, were on a patrol when attackers opened fire. International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) ground and air forces were involved in the engagement, ISAF said in a statement. "The extent of insurgent casualties is not yet known," ISAF added. (Achtergrond laatste tijd)
The soldier's death brings to 20 the number of British soldiers who have died in Afghanistan since November 2001, when the country's troops were deployed there as part of an international military coalition to oust the hardline Islamic Taliban regime. (20-08-2006)British soldiers in Afghanistan are involved in some of the worst and most prolonged fighting since World War II, the British commander of NATO forces in the country said on August 10. "This sort of thing hasn't really happened so consistently, I don't think, since the Korean War or the Second World War," Lieutenant General David Richards told the BBC World Service. "It happened for periods in the Falklands, obviously, and it happened for short periods in the Gulf on both occasions. But this is persistent, low-level, dirty fighting."
(How many troops, and where)(Deze getallen en gebieden keren steeds terug in de verslaggeving, evenals de periode sinds 2001, met maar bar weinig echt nieuw nieuws daarover)
Some 4,000 British troops are currently in Helmand, with the figure set to rise to around 4,500. A further 1,000 are in the capital Kabul and a few hundred are in the southern city of Kandahar. There are about 30,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan from 30 countries. Helmand, in the southwest of the country and Afghanistan's top opium producer, sees regular deadly violence blamed on Taliban fighters or drug lords.
Monday, 7 August 2006
Tough start for British forces
By Alastair Leithead BBC News, Kabul
Private Andrew Barrie Cutts of the Royal Logistics Corps has become the 10th British soldier to die in Afghanistan in two months.
Private Cutts was the 10th British soldier to be killed in Afghanistan
His convoy came under fire on its way out of Musa Qala, a remote and dangerous town in Helmand, after a successful mission to re-supply the fighting force defending the government district compound from attack. It was the same place where three British troops were killed last week when they were ambushed by Taleban fighters.
With every death the questions are asked again: Are there enough troops? Are they overstretched? Are things already going badly wrong? Former soldiers write opinion articles, unnamed commanders are quoted in the papers as complaining about a lack of troops, or that British soldiers are "exhausted" by their mission. And the fact is the British forces are spread more thinly than they intended.
Security plan
The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) assumed command of the south and of the troops in Helmand last week, and it has a plan to bring security to lawless parts of the country.
That plan involves "development zones" - drawing a line around one area in each province and ploughing resources into "securing" it with fighting troops.
Afghan security forces would then be used to set up checkpoints - to restrict movement of insurgents inside the zone - and then development agencies can come in and work in a secure environment.
Other mobile forces extend out, carrying out offensive operations against the insurgents - keeping them on the back foot.
UK soldier killed in Afghanistan
Then, the argument goes, things get better inside the secure zone, the people support the international force and the government, their lives improve; those outside the development area see what's going on, want the same, and the zones expand.
It's a long-term plan but it doesn't appear to fit the situation the British forces in Helmand have got themselves into.
They began with this central area - stretching from the provincial capital Lashkar Gah to Gereshk along a section of the Helmand river - but then they were drawn into the other district centres.
The Taleban fighters were threatening to overrun government compounds where the police and the administration were based.
Intense battles
Under pressure not to lose control of these district centres while so many British troops were on the ground - and at the insistence of the governor - they deployed to these towns to protect the compounds.
For the last two months small groups of British soldiers have been holed up in Sangin, Nowzad, Musa Qala and Kajaki at times getting involved in intensive battles for hours at a time and with fire coming in from all sides.
Four British soldiers have been killed in "remote and dangerous" Musa Qala
Major operations are launched - hundreds of troops flood in to secure the compound and the fighting stops in that area.
But then it starts up again somewhere else.
The Taleban fighters just melt into the population and it becomes very difficult to know who is the enemy.
Then gradually the security situation declines again and there's the need for another operation - often with a re-supply or a rotation out for the troops.
They have been working hard - the fighting force which numbers only 700 to 800 is constantly being deployed without the usual down time.
More fighting troops are on their way and in a few months the Marines will relieve the Paras, but still there's the argument more resources may be needed.
Difficult start
The commanders on the ground believe things are generally going their way - it was always going to be difficult, they say, and in every exchange with the insurgents the Taleban fighters come off worse.
British Lt General David Richards assumed control of southern Afghanistan a week ago as ISAF commander.
In that time four British soldiers and four Canadians have been killed and at least 10 troops injured.
It's not a good start and he will be thinking hard about how things are going on the ground and whether he needs to refocus the mission in Helmand to be more in line with his strategy of focusing on one area rather than many.
In other words withdraw from the district centres, which is being discussed.
But pulling British troops back would give the Taleban a sense they had scored a victory.
And that's not the message you want to give local people when you're trying to persuade them the government and the international force are going to overcome the Taleban and, through military strength, improve their lives
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/5251656.stm
Aantekening:
De foto’s van de soldaten erbij spreekt erg aan voor het publiek
Zie ook
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5250684.stm
Britse troepen in 'ergste gevechten in vijftig jaar'
LONDEN - De Britse militairen in Afghanistan zijn verwikkeld in de zwaarste en langdurigste gevechten die het Britse leger in de laatste vijftig jaar heeft moeten leveren. Dat heeft de commandant van de Britse troepen in Afghanistan, generaal David Richards, donderdag gezegd tegen de BBC.
Richards vergeleek de strijd tegen de Taliban in het Centraal-Aziatische land met die tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog en de oorlog in Korea in de jaren '50. „Het gebeurde ook in de Falklands (1982) en gedurende korte periodes in de Perzische Golf (1991 en 2003), maar dit zijn aanhoudende, laag-bij-de-grondse, smerige gevechten”, aldus de generaal.
Richards zei dat sommige Britse militairen zelfs zullen worden teruggetrokken uit gevaarlijke delen van de zuidelijke provincie Helmand en dat hun plaats wordt ingenomen door Afghaanse soldaten. Om het hoofd boven water te houden hebben de Britten extra helikopters en wapens nodig, zei hij verder.
(Deze laatste alinea is geen nieuws, maar vertelt over het aantal soldaten dat er is.)
Het Britse contingent in Helmand bestaat uit ongeveer 4000 manschappen. In het aangrenzende Uruzgan zijn circa 1400 Nederlanders actief. In totaal zijn rond de 30.000 buitenlandse militairen in Afghanistan gelegerd. Zij moeten een einde maken aan de opstand van de voormalige fundamentalistische machthebbers en helpen met de wederopbouw van het land.
http://www.telegraaf.nl/buitenland/48064651/Britse_troepen_in__ergste_gevechten_in_vijftig_jaar_.html
'Britse militairen in Afghanistan uitgeput'
9telegraaf: 07-08-2006)
LONDEN - De Britse militairen die in het zuiden van Afghanistan tegen Taliban-rebellen vechten, zijn 'op de rand van totale uitputting', meldde de Britse krant The Sunday Telegraph zondag. De Britse commandanten zijn bang dat het grote aantal intensieve operaties tegen de Taliban niet vol te houden is als de 3600 man tellende Britse troepenmacht niet met een man of duizend wordt uitgebreid.
Bovenkant formulier
Onderkant formulier
Sinds mei hebben de Britse militairen in de provincie Helmand 25 zware gevechten gevoerd, waarbij zij ongeveer zevenhonderd Taliban-strijders hebben gedood. De commandanten zeggen dat de missie tot dusver 'fantastisch succesvol' was, maar dat de vele operaties in moeilijk terrein en bij temperaturen van 50 graden Celsius hun tol beginnen te eisen.
„De mannen zijn bekaf - zij zijn op de rand van totale uitputting”, zei een commandant tegen The Sunday Telegraph. „Ze staan onder aanzienlijke druk en ze hebben het heel zwaar gehad.”
Vermindering van de intensiteit van de operaties is geen optie, zegt de leiding van de missie. Want dan krijgen de Taliban-strijders de tijd om zich te hergroeperen en zich voor te bereiden op de winter.
De NAVO-troepen in het zuiden van Afghanistan gaan ondanks de verliezen - sinds de overname van het ISAF-commando maandag zeven man - door met het bestrijden van de Taliban en het helpen van de bevolking, zei commandant David Richards zondag tegen het Franse persbureau AFP.
„Iedereen die denkt dat de NAVO-troepen niet goed vechten, vergist zich. Ze hebben zich heldhaftig en moedig geweerd.” Richards zei dat hij zich niet wil overgeven aan het tellen van doden zoals dat in Vietnam gebeurde, maar dat iedereen wel moet beseffen dat door de acties van de internationale troepenmacht heel veel Taliban-strijders onschadelijk zijn gemaakt. „Wij moeten het wel in perspectief zien.”
http://www.telegraaf.nl/buitenland/article47793201.ece?rss-koppensneller
http://encarta.msn.com/map_701513116/Helmand.html
But in a report from Afghanistan, Britain's domestic Press Association cited an unnamed senior British source as saying that between 40,000 and 50,000 NATO forces would be needed to control Taliban militants in Helmand alone.
LONDON (AFP) - British soldiers in Bovenkant formulier
Afghanistan' name=c1>SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3>
Onderkant formulier
Afghanistan are involved in some of the worst and most prolonged fighting since World War II, the British commander of Bovenkant formulier
NATO' name=c1>SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3>
Onderkant formulier
NATO forces in the country said.
"This sort of thing hasn't really happened so consistently, I don't think, since the Korean War (in 1952) or the Second World War (in 1939)," Lieutenant General David Richards told the BBC World Service.
"It happened for periods in the Falklands (in 1982), obviously, and it happened for short periods in the Gulf on both occasions (1991 and 2003). But this is persistent, low-level, dirty fighting."
He said some British troops would be withdrawn from parts of the southern province of Helmand to be replaced by soldiers from the Afghan Army.
Richards's comments came after news on Wednesday that another British soldier, Private Leigh Reeves, 25, was killed in Afghanistan, the 18th since November 2001 when the country's troops were deployed there.
Some 4,000 British troops are in the restive southern province of Helmand, with the figure set to rise to around 4,500. A further 1,000 are in Kabul, while a few hundred are in the southern city of Kandahar.
There are around 30,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan, from 30 countries.
But in a report from Afghanistan, Britain's domestic Press Association cited an unnamed senior British source as saying that between 40,000 and 50,000 NATO forces would be needed to control Taliban militants in Helmand alone.
Despite being toppled from power five years ago by a US-led coalition, remnants of the hardline Taliban regime have stepped up a deadly insurgency targeting foreign troops as well as the Afghan government.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060810/wl_uk_afp/britainmilitary_060810215213
(Vanuit onder meer Waziristan in Pakistan voert de Taliban aanvallen uit)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Pakistan_ethnic_80.jpg
Uit mijn documentatie
(..\..\..\landendocumentatie\azie\afghanistan\Achtergrond waziristan, Pakistan, Afghanistan.doc )
(Aantekening: In het grensgebied tussen Pakistan en Afghanistan zou Pakistan 80.000 militairen hebben gelegerd).
(Meer documentatie)
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/01/terror/main1853444.shtml?source=RSS&attr=World_1853444
The expansion of ISAF at October 2006 brought the total number of Teams throughout the country at 23. The teams are led by different members of the NATO-ISAF force.
http://www.afghannews.net/
(Is vandaag opeens Yahoo News geworden)
Yahoo! News Search Results for afghanistan
Yahoo! News Search Results for afghanistan
British forces in Afghanistan in worst fighting in 60 years: general (AFP via Yahoo! News)
British soldiers in Afghanistan are involved in some of the worst and most prolonged fighting since World War II, the British commander of NATO forces in the country said.
Three-quarters of US aid to Afghanistan going on security (AFP via Yahoo! News)
The United States said it will give Afghanistan 3.2 billion dollars in aid this year, with more than three-quarters earmarked for boosting the insurgency-racked country's army and police.
Southern Afghanistan violence kills 20 (AP via Yahoo! News)
Fighting in Afghanistan's south left 12 suspected Taliban and eight police dead, while a roadside bomb Thursday killed two Afghan civilians in an eastern province, officials said.
Afghanistan flooding kills at least 35 (USA Today)
Local authorities pleaded Wednesday for emergency relief for thousands of villagers made homeless by heavy rain and flooding that has ravaged provinces in eastern Afghanistan and left at least 35 people dead.
Fighting kills 20 in Afghanistan (AP via Yahoo! News)
Fighting in Afghanistan's south left 12 suspected Taliban and eight police dead, while a roadside bomb Thursday killed an Afghan civilian in an eastern province, officials said.
Up-armored Humvees mandatory for off-base travel in Afghanistan (Stars and Stripes)
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan U.S. military commanders reiterated orders Thursday that troops traveling off base must use up-armored Humvees, unless they receive an exemption from a commanding officer.
Fighting Kills 20 in Afghanistan (ABC News)
Fighting Kills 20 in Afghanistan; Top U.S. General Inspects Roadside Bomb Site
Militants 'killed' in Afghanistan (BBC News)
US-led forces in Afghanistan say they have killed 15 insurgents who were trying to attack one of their bases.
Weapons accident kills Canadian in Afghanistan (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
A Canadian soldier was killed on Wednesday in a weapons accident in Afghanistan, bringing Canada's military death toll in that country to 25, defense department officials said.
Southern Afghanistan Violence Kills 20 (phillyburbs.com)
KABUL, Afghanistan - Fighting in the volatile south left 12 suspected Taliban and eight police dead, while a roadside bomb Thursday killed two Afghan civilians in an eastern province during a visit by the top U.S. general in Afghanistan, officials said.
Afghan Militants Ambush NATO Forces
Three British Soldiers Killed Patrolling In Volatile Southern Region
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Aug. 1, 2006
Lees verder:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/01/terror/main1853444.shtml?source=RSS&attr=World_1853444
Aanvang ISAF Fase 3
U.S. Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry, commander of U.S.-led coalition forces, left, and British Lt. Gen. David J. Richards, the commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, salute the troops during an official ceremony at the Kandahar Airfield military base in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Monday, July 31, 2006. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd, POOL
(Foto overgenomen uit betreffend artikel)
In Helmand, police arrested two Afghans suspected of al Qaeda links in the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah on Monday night, said Helmand police chief Ghulam Nabi Malakhel. Documents seized from the men showed they were associated with the terror group, he said without elaborating.
http://www.multimap.com/wi/13162.htm
http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/InDepth/OperationsInAfghanistan.htm
UK Defence News, operations in Afghanistan
Dossier BBC:
UK TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN
LATEST STORIES
UK soldier killed in Afghanistan
Gun battle death soldier is named
Soldier killed in road accident
Afghan drug production 'goes up'
Taleban operation kills soldier
Army chief defends mission
Nato inherits south Afghan force
Cameron flies in to Afghanistan
Thinly spread Difficulties facing UK troops as they attempt to improve security in Afghanistan
BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
UK forces deaths in Afghanistan
Helping Helmand
Afghanistan's unruly province
Targeting Taleban
Taleban tactics and equipment
Q&A: Troop deployment
Where are British troops?
In depth: Afghanistan's future
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/5209190.stm
Helmand (Persian: هلمند) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the south-west of the country. Its capital is Lashkar Gah. The Helmand River flows through the mainly desert region, proving irrigation.
The population is 1,011,600 and the surface area is 23,058 square miles. The population is largely Pashtun.
Helmand produces 20% of the world's opium.
(wikipedia)
(Toevoegen kolom met “oprolbaar nieuws”, of nieuws dat steeds terugkomt.
Een aantal steeds terugkerende alinea’s en feiten in “het nieuws”.
(sinds 2001)Militants have stepped up attacks this year and triggered the deadliest violence here since the late-2001 ouster of the Taliban regime for hosting al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. More than 1,600 people, mostly militants, have died in the past four months, according to an Associated Press tally of violent incidents reported by U.S., NATO and Afghan officials.
A coalition led by the United States removed the Taliban from power in 2001 when the hardliners did not hand over Osama bin Laden after the September 11 attacks. (27-08-2006)
Sinds dit jaar
An insurgency launched by the extremists has been growing in strength, peaking this year with a more sophisticated attacks on military forces accompanying a stepped-up campaign of suicide and roadside bombings. (27-08-2006)
Sinds 1 augustus 2006, ISAF
The 10,000-strong ISAF force in the south, on the alliance's most ambitious military mission, have faced a barrage of attacks since moving into the hostile area. Commanders have said they need more troops and equipment to confront a stiffer than expected resistance from the Taliban, whom experts say are working with drugs barons and other players who profit from lawlessness. (27-08-2006)
Aantal slachtoffers (loopt maar op)
At a rough estimate, about 1,500 people have been killed in violence this year, around 1,000 of them rebels. (27-08-2006)
Enkele achtergronden:
Helmand, district Musa Qala
Musa Qala is a district in the north of Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Its population, which is 100% Pashtun, was estimated at 64,772 in 2002. The district centre is the village of Musa Qala; there are 19 other large villages and 200 smaller settlements, mostly along the Musa Qala River.
Kaart van het Musa Qala district
http://www.aims.org.af/maps/district/hilmand/musa_qala.pdf
Grensgebied Pakistan:
http://counterterrorismblog.org/2006/05/fighting_in_afghanistan_taliba.php
(Zie ook onder Pakistan brengen, en kaartjes in files)
4-9 follow up: Crash Nimrod (achterhalen oorzaak)
Veel nieuws is hetzelfde, of komt op hetzelfde neer.
Een schrijfschema kan er als volgt uitzien:
Topische vragen voor de lead: wie, wat, wanneer, waar, waarom en hoe?
-Aantal slachtoffers en wie het zijn
-Men wil de oorzaak van de crash achterhalen
-Achtergronden van de staat van dienst van de Nimrod (waren er eerdere ongelukken?)
-Medeleven met de familie betuigen
-Het aantal Britse militairen in Afghanistan
-Het aantal gesneuvelde militairen in Afghanistan
-De reden voor de missie in Afghanistan nogmaals benadrukken.
-(En eventueel door iemand de heldendaden van de Britten laten noemen)
foto, kaartje, enzovoorts
Fatal Afghanistan plane crash caused by on-board fire
4. September 2006, 01:22
AFP - The plane crash in Afghanistan that killed 14 British military personnel on Saturday was caused by an on-board fire, reports said. According to The Times, citing an unnamed military source, a short circuit inside the aircraft caused a spark leading to a fire, with smoke engulfing the work stations of the men on board. Meanwhile, The Sun newspaper reported that fire warning detectors went off, with flames damaging the fuselage and disabling the Nimrod MR2's controls. A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) declined to comment on the reports, saying only that: "The indications are that there was a technical problem of some sort." The Royal Air Force Nimrod MR2 reconnaissance plane, on a NATO mission, came down in Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan on Saturday. The military is investigating the disaster, which led to the single biggest loss of British troops in Afghanistan or Iraq since the US-led war on terror was launched in November 2001. Twelve RAF personnel, a Royal Marine and a British Army soldier were killed. The incident brings the number of British armed forces personnel deaths in Afghanistan since the start of operations against the hardline Taliban regime in 2001 to 36, including 15 in combat
http://www.afghannews.net/index.php?action=show&type=news&id=1102
4-6: Nieuwsbericht: Follow up: Afghanistan: Neerstorten Britse Nimrod
Reactie van de minister van defensie: Informatie over de Nimrod
Britain's defence secretary defends downed plane's safety record
3. September 2006, 03:05
AFP - Britain's Defence Secretary Des Browne has defended the safety record of the Nimrod reconnaissance plane after one of the aircraft crashed in Afghanistan, killing 14 armed service personnel. "The RAF (Royal Air Force) has an excellent record of maintaining and supporting its aircraft to the highest standards," he told BBC television on Sunday. "The Nimrod has served very well over its lifetime and is a very safe aircraft." An RAF Nimrod MR2 came down on Saturday in the Panjwayi area of southern Kandahar province, hours after the biggest anti-Taliban operation involving Afghan and NATO troops was launched (Medusa). The plane, which is based on the world's first jet airliner the De Havilland Comet, was on a surveillance mission supporting troops on the ground when it crashed, most likely because of a technical fault. "All the indications are that this was some form of tragic accident," Browne said, condemning "irresponsible" speculation in some quarters in the immediate aftermath of the crash about the air worthiness of the ageing aircraft. The Taliban on Saturday said they had shot down the Nimrod but Browne dismissed the claim. "They have in the past consistently lied about what our troops have been doing in certain communities. It's at the heart of their propaganda that they are misrepresenting what our troops are there to do," he said. (status)
The MR1 version of the Nimrod entered service in 1969. The upgraded MR2 aircraft was introduced in the 1980s and has seen service in the Falklands War, the two Gulf wars and the Balkans conflict. Distinctive with its "double-bubble" fuselage, it carries out three main roles: anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface unit warfare and search and rescue with a crew of 13 using the most sophisticated monitoring and radar equipment. The RAF's Nimrod MR2 fleet is based at RAF Kinloss in northeast Scotland
http://www.afghannews.net/index.php?action=show&type=news&id=1098
4-6
Meer info BBCbericht onderaan
NAVO-toestel neergestort in Afghanistan
KANDAHAR - Veertien Britse militairen zijn omgekomen toen hun vliegtuig neerstortte in het zuiden van Afghanistan. Onder de doden zijn twaalf leden van de Britse luchtmacht. Dat heeft het Britse ministerie van Defensie zaterdag laten weten.
„Alles wijst erop dat het om een tragisch ongeluk gaat en niet om een vijandelijk actie”, zei de Britse defensieminister Des Brown in een reactie.
Het NAVO-toestel stortte neer als gevolg van technische problemen, meldde het hoofdkwartier van de door de NAVO geleide vredesmacht ISAF in Afghanistan eerder op de dag. „Er was geen sprake van vijandelijke acties in verband met dit incident”, meldde het hoofdkwartier in een communiqué.
Niet eerder kwamen bij een enkel incident zoveel Britse militairen om het leven sinds het begin van de internationale militaire operatie in Afghanistan in oktober 2001. In totaal zijn sindsdien 36 Britse militairen omgekomen.
De BBC meldde dat het gecrashte toestel deelnam aan een omvangrijke operatie tegen de Taliban in het district Panjwayi in de provincie Kandahar. Het zou twintig kilometer ten westen van de gelijknamige hoofdstad van de provincie zijn neergekomen, waarna het in brand vloog.
(Het ongeluk kwam twee dagen nadat donderdag een Nederlandse F16 in het zuiden van Afghanistan was neergestort. Daarbij kwam de 29-jarige piloot om het leven. Ook in dat geval was er sprake van een ongeluk en niet van een vijandelijke actie.) (Oprolbaarheid)
http://www.telegraaf.nl/buitenland/49312721/NAVO-toestel_neergestort_in_Afghanistan.html?p=1,3
British troops suffer their blackest day in Afghanistan
2. September 2006, 12:06
AFP - British troops in Afghanistan suffered their biggest loss of life in a single incident when an aeroplane flying a NATO mission crashed, killing 14 people. Twelve were from the Royal Air Force, one was a Royal Marine and the last was a British army soldier, a Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesman said. The jet -- a Royal Air Force Nimrod MR2 reconnaissance plane -- came down in Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan due to a technical problem, a spokesman for the alliance in Kabul said earlier, stressing it was not shot down. The crash brings the number of British armed forces personnel killed in Afghanistan since the start of operations against Afghanistan's hardline Taliban former rulers in 2001 to 36. Fifteen of those deaths have been in combat. Six soldiers were killed last month alone. The latest deaths come just a day after a Fijian British Army soldier died fighting militants loyal to the deposed Taliban regime in the volatile southern Helmand province. The steadily rising death toll has left some wondering how much longer Britain could tolerate such losses. With a sizeable British presence in Iraq, accusations -- denied by the government and military top brass -- have mounted in recent months that troops are overstretched and ill-equipped. "It is very, very difficult for Britain to sustain losses at this level," Robert Fox, defence correspondent for London's Evening Standard newspaper, told BBC television. "It's difficult because there have been so many questions raised about this operation from the beginning." Britain's Defence Secretary Des Browne said: "This is dreadful and shocking news. "I know that the people of Britain will join me in sending our deep condolences to the loved ones of those who have lost their lives, and to the British military as it deals with the loss of friends and comrades." The MoD immediately set up a special incident line for concerned family members. Browne stressed it was "not the time for speculation" and work was ongoing to secure the crash site. "Everyone will understand that our first priority is to inform and support the families of those on board," he added. "I can say, however, at this stage all the indications are that this was a terrible accident and not the result of hostile action. (What difference does this make?). "This tragic incident should serve to remind us all of the risks the British military shoulder on all our behalf across the world every day." (Britain has nearly 4,000 troops in Helmand as part of a NATO-led force working to bring security to the restive southern province.)
Dutch F-16(Saturday's crash comes after a Dutch F16 fighter jet went down Thursday on its way to southern Afghanistan, killing the Dutch pilot.) The cause of that crash was also said to be an accident.
Other British plane crashTen British armed forces personnel were killed in Iraq in January 2005 when their C130 transport plane was shot down by enemy fire on a flight out of the capital Baghdad.
http://www.afghannews.net/index.php?action=show&type=news&id=1096
14 Britons killed in Afghanistan
2. September 2006, 08:21
BBC - Fourteen British service personnel have died after their aircraft crashed in Afghanistan, the MoD said. (Who and what)Twelve RAF personnel, a Royal Marine and an Army soldier were among those who died in the crash in the southern province of Kandahar. (who?)The aircraft belonged to NATO-led international force against the Taleban. An International Security Assistance Force spokesman said "enemy action had been discounted at this stage". Earlier, NATO said its forces had launched a major offensive against known hideouts of Taleban insurgents in the Panjwayi district of Kandahar, with the aim of driving them out of the area. There was no indication of an enemy attack on the plane, which was not a fighter jet, Maj Scott Lundy said. The crash came as Afghan and Nato troops began a major anti-Taleban drive in the Panjwayi district of Kandahar which has seen months of fighting. (Afghanistan is experiencing its bloodiest period since the fall of the Taleban in 2001. Much of the fighting has been concentrated in the south.) (Achtergrond) The plane came down about 20 km (12 miles) west of the city of Kandahar, Maj Lundy of the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said. It was "supporting a Nato mission. It went off the radar and crashed in an open area in Kandahar." Nato forces are at the scene but there is no word on how many people were on board. A large Canadian contingent is based in Kandahar province. A local tribal elder told the Associated Press news agency by phone that the wreckage of the plane was burning in an open field. "I can see three or four helicopters in the sky, and coalition forces are also arriving in the area," he said.
Dutch F-16
(On Thursday, a Dutch F-16 fighter pilot was killed after his plane crashed in the southern province of Ghazni.) (Officials said the crash was believed to be an accident.)
http://www.afghannews.net/index.php?action=show&type=news&id=1092
---Vergelijken van de nieuwsberichten. Veel nieuwsberichten worden wat afgewisseld door wat summiere achtergrond informatie, zoals de situatie sinds 2001, of 2006, of sinds augustus 2006.
14 UK troops die in Afghan crash
Fourteen British service personnel have died after their aircraft crashed in Afghanistan.
Twelve RAF personnel, a Royal Marine and an Army soldier were on board the RAF Nimrod MR2 which came down in the southern province of Kandahar.
The reconnaissance plane, based at RAF Kinloss in Scotland, belonged to the Nato-led force battling the Taleban.
Officials said the incident appeared to be an accident and Tony Blair said it would "distress the whole country".
The prime minister said: "Our thoughts go out immediately to the families of those who have died.
"British forces are engaged in a vital mission in Afghanistan and this terrible event starkly reminds us of the risk that they face daily."
It's a black day. It's a disaster for our soldiers on the ground in Afghanistan
Major Charles Heyman
Quick guide: Afghanistan
Factfile: Nimrod MR2
Send us your reaction
The 12 RAF personnel on board the were all based at Kinloss and from the Moray area, a spokesman from the base said.
All next of kin have been informed.
UK Defence Secretary Des Browne described the incident as "dreadful and shocking" news and said the indications were it was a "terrible accident".
He added that "people needed to understand" why UK forces were in Afghanistan.
"We are there in the context of a UN resolution - at the request of the United Nations Nato has taken on this very difficult task," he said.
"The developed world can't afford to allow Afghanistan to become a training ground for terrorists again.
"The whole of the developed world knows that and that's why almost all of the developed world - the whole of the civilised world - has troops and others present working with us on this task."
Angus Robertson, the SNP MP for Moray, said: "This is tragic news for the families and friends of the service personnel at RAF Kinloss.
"It brings home the terrible danger that our service personnel face and that they perform their duties with selflessness.
"Our thoughts go out to everybody connected with the victims and RAF Kinloss at this time."
'Technical fault'
Nato forces say the plane was supporting the Nato mission in the area.
The pilot is believed to have radioed ground staff about a technical fault shortly before the aircraft came down.
The crash brings the death toll of UK forces personnel in Afghanistan to 36 since the start of operations in November 2001.
Crash implications probed
MPs and experts respond
Defence analyst, Major Charles Heyman, told BBC News 24: "It's a black day. It's a disaster for our soldiers on the ground in Afghanistan.
"No other words can describe it. It's a big hit to morale. Believe me it really does affect morale."
Commander of British Forces in Afghanistan, Brigadier Ed Butler, said recent loss of life has caused "profound personal devastation for families, friends and colleagues".
But he paid tribute to the "quite remarkable" resilience and morale of British service personnel.
"I am personally humbled by their courage and commitment in getting on with the tough job in hand; delivering over and above, and making a difference to the ordinary people of Afghanistan," he said.
BBC defence correspondent, Paul Wood, told BBC News 24, said the plane could have been supporting an operation in a place called Panjwayi - west of Kandahar.
"It's a town - which has been in Taleban hands - which has been forced back into coalition hands by a big push, still continuing today."
MOD HELPLINE
A special helpline is available on 08457 800 900 for families concerned about relatives
Conservative Party leader David Cameron, who said he was "deeply shocked and saddened" by the accident, has sent his condolences to the friends and families of those killed.
"Today's tragic loss is a reminder of the extraordinarily difficult conditions in which our armed forces are operating in Afghanistan," he said.
Afghanistan is experiencing its bloodiest period since the fall of the Taleban in 2001, with much of the fighting concentrated in the south.
Some 4,500 British troops are in the country to help train Afghan security forces, facilitate reconstruction, and provide security.
But in Helmand, the emphasis is also on counter-narcotics, as the province is the "largest single source of opium in Afghanistan".
British troops have found themselves in virtually daily gun battles with the Taleban, who have been regrouping.
AFGHAN AIR CRASHES
31 August 2006 - Dutch F-16 fighter pilot dies in crash in south of country
27 July 2006 - 16 people of multiple nationalities die in helicopter crash in south east
6 May 2006 - 10 US soldiers die in helicopter crash in Kunar province
24 April 2006- Five die when US anti-drugs plane crashes in southern Afghanistan
11 November 2005 - Civilian cargo jet from Bagram crashes killing eight
25 September 2005 - Five US soldiers die in Chinook crash in Zabul province
16 August 2005 - 17 Spanish soldiers die when Cougar helicopter crashes near Herat
28 June 2005 - 16 US soldiers die in Chinook crash in Kunar province
6 April 2005 - 15 US soldiers and three civilian contractors die in helicopter crash in Ghazni province
The crash comes as Afghan and Nato troops began a major anti-Taleban drive in the Panjwayi district of Kandahar.
The plane came down about 20 km (12 miles) west of the city of Kandahar, Maj Scott Lundy of the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said.
There was no indication of an enemy attack on the plane, which was not a fighter jet.
It was "supporting a Nato mission. It went off the radar and crashed in an open area", he said.
The crash is thought to be the biggest single loss of British troops in Iraq or Afghanistan since military operations began there in 2001.
Ten British armed personnel were killed when a Hercules C130K crashed north-west of Baghdad in January 2005.
There have been four previous crashes of Nimrods since 1980, two of them involving fatalities.
The last took place 11 years ago to the day when seven crew from Kinloss died at an air show near Toronto, Canada.
The incident was blamed on pilot error.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5308622.stm
