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First British Military Reinforcements Expected In Kabul
LONDON, March 23 (News Agencies) - Some 100 Royal Navy Marines, making up the first wave of British troop reinforcements in Afghanistan, are expected to arrive in Kabul on Sunday, the British defense ministry said.
The elite soldiers were to have left Brize Norton airbase outside London late Friday, but their departure was delayed by a day for unspecified reasons, a spokesman for the ministry told Agence France-Presse (AFP) Saturday.
Their plane was to take off late Saturday and take about 15 hours to reach Afghanistan, he said, adding that it was not certain that the troops would transit via Pakistan.
"Karachi [in Pakistan] is only one of a number of possible deployment routes, it's not our only option," he added.
In total 1,700 troops, representing Britain's largest military deployment for combat since the 1991 Gulf War, are expected to travel to Bagram airbase outside Kabul, reported AFP.
Britain said Monday it was planning to dispatch the troops to aid U.S. soldiers in their mission to root out remaining Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters.
Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon said Friday there were "hundreds, possibly thousands" of fighters yet to be flushed out, "certainly a significant number."
"We have to deal with them otherwise they can continue to pose a threat not only to the people of Afghanistan, but also to the people of the UK," he told BBC radio.
A portion of the 1,700 Royal Marines to be deployed are already stationed on the HMS Ocean in the Indian Ocean, awaiting the go-ahead to sail to the port city of Karachi.
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