PM defends Afghanistan commitment
By politics.co.uk staff
Nine deaths in as many days among British soldiers in Afghanistan left Gordon Brown on the defensive in L’Aquila, Italy.
The prime minister, speaking at the G8 summit as the latest two fatalities were repatriated to RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire, insisted the government was providing troops with the equipment they need.
“We will do everything we can to protect our forces,” he pledged, citing the £1 billion spent on over 1,000 new vehicles “to protect our troops”.
A lack of helicopters has led to criticism from some quarters, but the prime minister said helicopter capability had doubled in the last two years.
“We needed to take the action we were taking to prevent the Afghan Taliban gaining a foothold but also to prevent the Pakistan Taliban and al-Qaida causing trouble that ends up in the streets of our countries,” Mr Brown added.
Earlier today the Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed the eighth and ninth deaths in as many days.
The incident took place as part of Operation Panchai Palang (Panthers Claw) in an engagement with insurgent forces, near Lashkar Gah.
“There is a recognition this is a task the world has got to accept together, and it’s a task the world has got to fulfil,” Mr Brown said as he called on other countries to maintain their commitments.
The death toll among British troops serving in Afghanistan since coalition forces ousted the Taliban from power in 2001 now stands at 178.
