KABUL — A Russian-owned civilian helicopter crashed and burst into flames shortly after takeoff at southern Afghanistan’s largest NATO base Sunday, killing 16 civilians in the latest in a string of deadly aircraft crashes in the country….
Posts Tagged ‘southern Afghanistan’
Bowe Bergdahl: Soldier Captured In Afghanistan Identified As 23-Year-Old Idahoan
July 19th, 2009 |
No Comments
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon on Sunday confirmed that an American soldier who went missing from his base in Afghanistan has been captured and identified him as a private from Idaho serving with an Alaska-based infantry regiment.
The Defens…
Afghan helicopter crash kills 16
July 19th, 2009 |
No Comments
A civilian helicopter has crashed in southern Afghanistan, US military officials have said.
The helicopter came down at the Kandahar air field, Nato’s largest base in southern Afghanistan.
Reports from Moscow say the helicopter was a Russian-built Mi-8 and that 15 people have been killed.
The crash is the second of a helicopter in Afghanistan in a week. Six civilians died when an aircraft came down in southern Helmand province on Tuesday.
US and Nato officials have so far not confirmed any death toll from Sunday’s crash.
Russia’s Interfax agency quoted a spokesman for Russia’s Federal Air Transportation Agency as saying: "An Mi-8 transport helicopter crashed at take-off from an airfield in Kandahar.
"Fifteen of the 17 passengers were killed," the spokesman said. </p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Taliban Video Shows Captive US soldier: AP sources
July 19th, 2009 |
No Comments
WASHINGTON — The American soldier who went missing June 30 from his base in eastern Afghanistan and was later confirmed to have been captured, appeared on a video posted Saturday to a Web site by the Taliban.
Two U.S. defense officials …
PM defends Afghanistan policy
July 13th, 2009 |
No Comments
Prime minister says helicopter capacity has doubled over last two years, but David Cameron disputes this
Gordon Brown today delivered a robust defence of government policy in Afghanistan amid signs that the cross-party consensus on the issue is starting to break down.
In a statement to the Commons, the prime minister said that helicopter capacity in Afghanistan had almost doubled over the last two years and that commanders on the ground were satisfied that they had the manpower they needed.
But David Cameron, the Tory leader, said that in reality there had been “no increase in helicopter capacity at all” because the number of troops in Afghanistan who needed them had doubled since 2006.
Ministers have faced a barrage of complaints following the death of eight soldiers within 24 hours at the end of last week, which took the death toll in Afghanistan above the total for the number of British soldiers killed in the Iraq war.
The Tories and the Liberal Democrats support the Afghan mission, but they have been increasingly critical of the way it is being conducted.
Bob Ainsworth, the defence secretary, told MPs that they should “try to make the maximum contribution to maintaining cross-party support” for what the troops were doing. But, during defence questions, several Labour MPs criticised the Tories for supposedly playing politics with the issue.
In his statement, Brown said that in the last two years the government had increased helicopter numbers by 60% and, taking into account the provision of extra crews and equipment, helicopter capacity had increased by 84%.
On troop levels, he said: “I have been assured by commanders on the ground and at the top of our armed services that we have the manpower we need for current operations.”
He said that three quarters of terrorist plots against the UK originated from the area around the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and that the case for intervention in Afghanistan now was the same as it was in 2001: “to prevent terrorist attacks here in Britain and across the world”.
He also said that he had been assured that Operation Panther’s Claw, the ongoing operation in Helmand, was having “a major impact on the Taliban” and the morale of British forces was “high”.
But, replying to the prime minister, Cameron said that “more needs to be done to set out and explain” British policy in Afghanistan. He also pointed out that, when Brown was chancellor in 2004, the Ministry of Defence’s helicopter budget had been cut by £1.4bn.
Earlier today, at the launch of a Tory policy document, Cameron described the lack of suitable helicopters in southern Afghanistan as “an extreme emergency”.
Cameron said: “The government made a historic mistake with a cutback of the helicopter programme, and they did it at a time when our troops were engaged both in Iraq and Afghanistan … In these conflicts, mobility is absolutely key.
“You have got to commit the resources so that they can do the job properly. The other thing we should do is [make] much more effort to go to every single Nato country and really hold their feet to the fire about why their helicopters are not there.
“If you do a desktop search on how many helicopters and troop-carrying helicopters different Nato countries have, you come up with a very significant number. When you see what’s actually in Afghanistan, it is a much less significant number.”
Cameron said that many of those helicopters would be “being repaired, being mended, deployed elsewhere, but I would like to see a real effort by the government to get around every single Nato capital and put a maximum amount of pressure on to beg, borrow or, frankly, steal those helicopters that are necessary for our troops in Afghanistan”.
Earlier today, Ainsworth accompanied Gordon Brown on a visit to the RAF Benson helicopter base, in Oxfordshire.
They met the chief of staff, personnel and families and were briefed on the timeline for the planned deployment of Merlin helicopters in Afghanistan at the end of the year.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Cameron: helicopter deficit is scandal
July 13th, 2009 |
No Comments
Conservative leader’s comments come as poll reveals backing for British involvement in war has grown
David Cameron today said it was a “scandal” that the British army did not have enough helicopters to transport troops around Afghanistan.
Speaking as a new poll suggested that the growing British casualty rate had not increased public hostility to the conflict, the Conservative leader said the government should deal with the helicopter problem “as a matter of urgency”.
Cameron will have the chance to challenge Gordon Brown on the issue when the prime minister makes a statement to the Commons, which will cover the latest deaths in Afghanistan, later today.
In a speech on international aid today, the Tory leader said the government should supply British troops with more equipment.
“Of course we must do that – it is a scandal in particular that they still lack enough helicopters to move around in Afghanistan,” he added.
“The government must deal with that issue as a matter of extreme urgency.”
Research carried out as news broke of the deaths of eight soldiers in 24 hours – taking the British death toll in Afghanistan to more than that in Iraq – revealed support for the war remained firm and backing for British involvement had grown.
The poll of 1,000 showed that people appear reluctant to turn against a conflict while soldiers are fighting and dying on the front line, and the increasingly high-profile nature of the war appears to have strengthened public backing.
Opposition to the war, at 47%, is just ahead of support, at 46%, according to the ICM poll for the Guardian and the BBC’s Newsnight.
Backing for Britain’s role in the conflict has grown since the last time an ICM poll was conducted on the subject in 2006.
It is up 15 points from 31%, while opposition has fallen over the same period by six points from 53%.
The poll also showed that 42% are in favour of the immediate withdrawal of British troops, and a further 14% want them home by the end of the year. These figures are almost identical to the results in 2006.
A further 36% want troops to stay as long as they are needed – again a similar proportion to 2006, when British casualties were lower.
The findings came as ministers drew up plans to devote more troops and resources to Afghanistan after dismissing repeated requests from defence chiefs for reinforcements.
The shift in approach follows the rising death toll, outspoken criticism from opposition politicians and the prospect of a long period of intense fighting against the Taliban.
Gordon Brown will today confirm that the number of British troops is increasing to 9,000 from a base of 8,300.
One favoured option, which has not been agreed, is for the number of troops to be kept at 9,000 after the next general election.
Today, Miliband told GMTV the government’s strategy in Afghanistan was clear.
“This is a mission that’s been developed with a very clear strategy: above all, to make us safer here because we know these areas of Afghanistan and its neighbour Pakistan are used to launch terrorism around the world,” he said. “So the mission for us is clear.”
Miliband admitted there had been a “terrible casualty toll” and paid tribute to those who were killed, but added that more helicopters alone were not the answer.
John Maples, the Tory deputy chairman, yesterday told the Guardian: “Increasingly, people are starting to ask whether this war is winnable and whether our military objectives are sensible given the number of troops and the amount of equipment we are prepared to commit.”
Lord Ashdown, the former Liberal Democrat leader who almost became the UN special representative in Afghanistan last year, was scathing about British and US conduct.
“The army were persuaded, for political reasons, to follow a Beau Geste strategy – putting our people out in forward forts largely because the politicians were persuaded by [Afghan president Hamid] Karzai that this was where his supporters and family lived,” he said.
“It led to a military error of major proportions. The army’s job in a war is to find and kill the enemy.”
After previously blocking requests by the chiefs of staff for 2,000 more troops to be deployed in southern Afghanistan, Brown has said in a letter to senior Commons committee chairmen: “We will of course continue to review our force levels based on the advice of commanders and discussions with our allies.”
The Treasury has previously blocked the defence chiefs’ request on the grounds of cost.
However, the chancellor, Alistair Darling, said over the weekend: “If [British troops] need equipment, whatever it is, to support them in the frontline then of course the government, through the Treasury, is ready to help.”
He told the BBC: “You can’t send troops into the frontline and not be prepared to see it through in terms of the … resources they need.”
Significantly, given the government’s past decisions to cap resources for Afghanistan, Darling added: “You’ve got to listen to what the chiefs of staff tell us.”
Commanders on the ground have made no secret of the fact that they want more helicopters and more British troops.
General Sir Richard Dannatt, the head of the army, was yesterday reported to have told a private dinner of MPs that too few troops and helicopters were available.
In an interview with the British Forces Broadcasting Service on Saturday, Brown paid tribute to the “sacrifice” of the 15 troops who have died since the start of the month in the bloodiest fighting Britain has seen in the Afghan campaign.
“I know that this has been a difficult summer – it is going to be a difficult summer,” he said.
The prime minister said he had been assured, in a lengthy briefing by commanders, that Operation Panther’s Claw to drive the Taliban from central Helmand province was making “considerable progress”.
Bob Ainsworth, the defence secretary, said troops were “attacking the Taliban in one of their heartland areas”.
“The reason they are standing and fighting is they know that what we are doing potentially hurts them seriously and strategically,” he said.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
UK sticks by Afghan op despite losses
July 11th, 2009 |
No Comments
Foreign Secretary David Miliband has defended the UK’s continued military presence in Afghanistan, after eight troops were killed in 24 hours.
Some 184 troops have died there since 2001, more than the 179 killed in Iraq.
With Britain’s role being called into question, Mr Miliband said UK forces were stopping Afghanistan becoming "a launch pad for attacks" by terrorists.
He said safety at home needed security in Afghanistan. "This is about the future of Britain," he added.
The UK Chief of Defence Staff, Sir Jock Stirrup, insisted "real governance" was emerging in Afghanistan.
See a map of the conflict zone
He said Britain had "taken some very sad casualties over the last several days" and warned of more deaths to come but insisted the Taliban were "losing" in Afghanistan.
"It’s very clear to everyone who has visited Helmand in particular over the last three years that, where we provide the necessary degree of security for its citizens, real governance is starting to emerge," he added.
BBC defence and security correspondent Rob WatsonWhen British troops were first deployed to southern Afghanistan three years ago the then defence secretary expressed the hope that they would complete their mission without a shot being fired.
It has instead been the most high intensity fighting British troops have faced since the Korean War in the 1950s.
To critics, the ferocity of the fighting is proof of how ill thought out the whole mission has been all along.
Defenders of the operation, however, say it was always bound to be difficult and that the casualties while regrettable have been suffered in a worthwhile and winnable cause.
Certainly the deployment to Afghanistan of around 10% of Britain’s army has proved a real strain on manpower, equipment and finances.
For now at least though, Britain remains firmly committed to staying the course.
Fifteen soldiers have died in 10 days in southern Afghanistan.
Five from the 2nd Battalion The Rifles were killed in two separate blasts while on foot patrol near Sangin, Helmand province, on Friday.
Hours earlier, it had been confirmed a British soldier from the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment died near Nad Ali in Helmand.
Two soldiers died on Thursday evening. One, from 4th Battalion The Rifles, was killed in a blast while on foot patrol near Nad Ali.
The second, from Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment, attached to 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, was killed during an engagement with insurgent forces near Lashkar Gah.
It has brought the UK’s role in the conflict under increased scrutiny.
However, Mr Miliband told BBC Radio 4′s Today programme troops were there to "ensure that Afghanistan can not again become an incubator for terrorism and a launching pad for attacks on us".
"This is about the future of Britain because we know that the borderlands of Afghanistan and Pakistan have been used to launch terrible attacks, not just on the US but on Britain as well," he added.
Helicopter call
The mission would not be over until the 65,000-strong Afghan security forces had been bolstered to the 120,000 needed to defend the nation, he said.
FROM THE TODAY PROGRAMME More from Today programmeThe recent casualties coincided with UK troops’ involvement in Operation Panchai Palang, or Panther’s Claw, a major assault against the Taliban in Helmand ahead of next month’s Afghan elections.
They have been joined by about 4,000 US and 650 Afghan troops for the mission.
Mr Miliband defended claims by Conservative leader David Cameron that those fighting on the front line were not properly equipped – particularly with helicopters.
The foreign secretary said the government had spent £10bn on equipment for force protection – including 1,200 new vehicles – in the last five years.
"Protection of people there is the highest priority for the government," he added.
HAVE YOUR SAY"The British soldiers must suspend all activities in Afghanistan and come home"
Kenneth, London
Send us your commentsMr Cameron had praised the bravery of British troops as "outstanding" but had called on the government to explain its strategy and deliver key equipment.
"It is a scandal that our forces still lack the helicopters they desperately require to move around in Helmand," he said.
"Promises of more helicopters in the future are not enough. More helicopters are needed today. More helicopters would save lives."
Return to top
</p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Afghan deaths match Iraq toll as three Britons killed
July 10th, 2009 |
No Comments
Afghan conflict has now claimed lives of as many British servicemen and women as that in Iraq after MoD announces third casualty in 24 hours
The conflict in Afghanistan has now claimed the lives of as many British servicemen and women as that in Iraq after the Ministry of Defence announced today that another soldier had been killed.
Ten servicemen have died within the last nine days and the casualty rate is as high as at any point since Afghanistan was invaded in 2001 in response to the 9/11 terror attacks on the US.
The latest casualty – the third to be announced today – was a soldier from the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment. He was killed in southern Afghanistan, the MoD said. Next of kin have been informed.
Officials said the soldier was killed in an explosion during an operation near Nad-e-Ali, in central Helmand province.
“The loss of this brave Tankie has hit us all deeply,” Lieutenant Colonel Nick Richardson, a spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said.
“We grieve for him at this very sad time. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and colleagues who feel the greatest loss. His loss has not been in vain.”
The death is likely to intensify the debate about whether the Afghanistan operation is worthwhile.
Ministers still strongly insist that the deployment is vital for British security, but the Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg, this week questioned whether the government had “the will, strategy or tactics” to do the job properly.
Gordon Brown will go straight to the Northwood headquarters of the armed forces in Middlesex for a private briefing on Afghanistan with military chiefs when he returns to Britain from the G8 summit in Italy.
Speaking at the end the talks today, before the latest casualties were formally announced, the prime minister said that it was “vital” that the British mission succeeded.
He also robustly denied claims by General Lord Guthrie, the former head of the armed forces, that soldiers were dying because the military was short of money.
Earlier, the MoD announced that two soldiers had been killed in Afghanistan yesterday.
One of the men, from 4th Battalion the Rifles, was killed in an explosion while on a foot patrol near Nad-e-Ali.
The other, from the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment attached to 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, died from a gunshot wound following a battle with insurgents near Lashkar Gah, also in Helmand.
The latest casualties take the Afghanistan death toll to 179, equalling the total number killed in Iraq.
“This tragic milestone must be a reminder to all of us of the huge sacrifices made day after day by our brave servicemen and women and their families,” Clegg said.
“The courage and professionalism of our armed forces are second to none.
“We must never forget the massive debt we owe to those who have paid the ultimate price to ensure we can live in safety.”
The war in Afghanistan, where the British are fighting with other Nato countries to stop Taliban fundamentalists regaining control of the country, has had the backing of all the main political parties as well as the general support of the public.
But ministers are worried that, with the death toll rising and no prospect of an end to the campaign in sight, public opinion could turn.
Brown said: “This is a very hard summer, and it is not over yet.
“It is vital that we see this through. Our resolution to complete the work that we have started in Afghanistan and Pakistan is undiminished.
“It’s in tribute to the members of the armed forces that have given their lives that we should succeed in the efforts that we have begun.”
The prime minister said it was vital the Taliban were pushed back in Helmand province and al-Qaida thwarted across the border in Pakistan.
“We can’t allow the borders of Afghanistan to be lawless places,” he said. “The streets of Britain are safer places as a result of the armed forces’ work in Afghanistan.
“Our job is to secure a stable and democratic Afghanistan.”
Brown also spoke of the “sadness” he felt about young soldiers who were “incredibly professional” and “very courageous” losing their lives.
“My sympathy goes out to every one of the families who have suffered the pain of losing a loved one,” he said.
Bernard Jenkin, a member of the defence select committee, said: “It is astonishing that we are fighting high intensity operations the scale of Afghanistan on a peacetime budget without enough protection mobility and with fewer helicopters per head for armed forces than we had three years ago.”
Guthrie was quoted in the Mail today as saying the Treasury had spent “the minimum they could get away with” on defence.
He said fewer soldiers would be dying if commanders on the ground had more troops and more equipment.
“I spoke to an officer the other day who said that the Treasury had affected the operational safety of our soldiers, by preventing an uplift in our numbers,” Guthrie added.
“As far as helicopters are concerned, of course they need more helicopters. If they had more, it is very likely that fewer soldiers would have been killed by roadside bombs.”
Guthrie blamed Brown directly for the state of MoD funding.
“It is an indication of the unsympathetic view the chancellor of the day [Brown] and the Treasury had of defence when Britain went into southern Afghanistan in 2006,” he said.
“They were prepared to give very large amounts of money to other departments, but the minimum they could get away with to defence.”
When asked about Guthrie’s comments, Brown said the troops in Afghanistan had twice as much helicopter capacity as they did two years ago.
“We have spent over £1bn on vehicles,” he added.
News of the latest casualties came as the bodies of another five British servicemen killed in Afghanistan over the past week – four in Operation Panchai Palang – were returned to the UK.
Bob Ainsworth, the defence secretary, acknowledged this week that there was “gloom and worry” about the British fatalities and admitted more lives would be lost.
But he insisted morale was high in Afghanistan and said it would be a “good thing” for Clegg to talk to some UK troops.
Around 3,000 troops are involved in the British-led Operation Panchai Palang, which began on 19 June and has seen fierce fighting and significant casualties on both sides.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds