Afghan campaign to be escalated, says Hutton
Specialist troops and advanced equipment will be part of escalating British operations in Afghanistan, according to defence secretary.
In an interview with the News of the World, Mr Hutton said greater efforts were needed in the coming year to consolidate gains in Afghanistan.
“2009 is a very big year for Afghanistan,” he explained. “We have got to make more progress in improving security and allowing reconstruction to develop. We also have to create the right security conditions for the elections later this year.”
Mr Hutton said more Chinooks and Lynx helicopters would be sent to Afghanistan and greater efforts would be made to help protect troops from the threat of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
“We need more specialist experts in the area in theatre. We are going to deploy a range of equipment and people who are going to provide us with better protection but I’m not going to give the Taliban a heads up about that,” he continued.
“But I do want people in Britain to know we are going to do more because we have a duty of care over our troops. That’s going to be my top priority for the next 12 months and I know that’s the priority of the service chiefs.”
He also called on NATO to bolster its presence in the country by sending more helicopters in order to improve the mobility of troops. The defence secretary told the paper a shortage of helicopters was harming the effectiveness of operations in the country and he urged NATO member states to “stand up and be counted”.
The US has previously announced a surge of 30,000 troops to boost operations against the Taliban this year.
