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UK to spend more to protect troops in Afghanistan
Source: Agencies |
December 14, 2009, Monday
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THE British government is to spend 150 million pounds (US$248 million) on new measures to protect its troops in Afghanistan from roadside bombs, a government official said today.
Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth will announce the measures to parliament on Tuesday as part of a wider Afghanistan-support package, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The measure could be accompanied by some cuts in defence spending as the government tightens its belt to try to rein in a ballooning public deficit.
The 150 million pounds over three years will be funded through a reprioritisation of the defence budget, the official said, without giving further details.
Many of the 100 British troops killed in Afghanistan this year were victims of roadside bombs planted by the Taliban.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown, facing an uphill battle to win an election due by next June, has been accused of failing to give British soldiers enough protection from the bombs.
Brown and Afghan President Hamid Karzai met at an Afghan air base yesterday, aiming to fix a relationship that has grown bitter as the Afghan war grows deadlier and more unpopular. [ID:nTOE5BC01J]
Brown will make a separate statement to parliament today on last week's European Union summit and plans to speed up training of Afghan security forces.
The 150 million pound package will include funding for new facilities for training in Britain on countering roadside bombs and a new analysis centre to interpret data from British surveillance and intelligence activities in Afghanistan.
British forces are using unmanned planes or drones to track suspicious activity that could point to bombs being planted. British forces have also brought in robots to help locate roadside bombs.
Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth will announce the measures to parliament on Tuesday as part of a wider Afghanistan-support package, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The measure could be accompanied by some cuts in defence spending as the government tightens its belt to try to rein in a ballooning public deficit.
The 150 million pounds over three years will be funded through a reprioritisation of the defence budget, the official said, without giving further details.
Many of the 100 British troops killed in Afghanistan this year were victims of roadside bombs planted by the Taliban.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown, facing an uphill battle to win an election due by next June, has been accused of failing to give British soldiers enough protection from the bombs.
Brown and Afghan President Hamid Karzai met at an Afghan air base yesterday, aiming to fix a relationship that has grown bitter as the Afghan war grows deadlier and more unpopular. [ID:nTOE5BC01J]
Brown will make a separate statement to parliament today on last week's European Union summit and plans to speed up training of Afghan security forces.
The 150 million pound package will include funding for new facilities for training in Britain on countering roadside bombs and a new analysis centre to interpret data from British surveillance and intelligence activities in Afghanistan.
British forces are using unmanned planes or drones to track suspicious activity that could point to bombs being planted. British forces have also brought in robots to help locate roadside bombs.
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