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Britain bolsters forces in Afghanistan with new vehicles
London (AFP) Oct 29, 2008 Britain is to buy up to 700 new and upgraded armoured vehicles to protect its forces in Afghanistan, where they face a "new and developing" insurgent threat, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Wednesday. The government will spend some 700 million pounds (1.13 billion dollars, 880 million euros) to bolster protection of its troops in the war-scarred country, notably from the growing threat of roadside bombs planted by Taliban fighters. "In face of these new and developing threats this will mean that our armed forces have the best practical protection for the work that they do," he told lawmakers. Britain has some 7,800 troops serving in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) operating in Afghanistan, where the Taliban has mounted growing attacks in recent months, notably closer to Kabul. The new equipment will include some 400 heavy, medium and light support vehicles, called Wolfhound, Husky and Coyote, as well more than 100 new, larger and more heavily armoured tracked vehicles to be known as Warthog. The Ministry of Defence will also buy 100 Jackal all-terrain vehicles, while the army's Snatch Land Rovers -- which have been particularly vulnerable to attack from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) -- are to be upgraded. The first of the new vehicles should be delivered for training by mid-2009, ready for frontline deployment by the end of 2010. The United States and Britain, which led the military response after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, are increasingly focusing on Afghanistan, as troop levels are reduced in Iraq. In recent months the Taliban, ousted from power in Kabul within months of the 9/11 attacks on Washington and New York, have carried out increasingly deadly attacks against coalition forces, as well as aid workers. Afghan President Hamid Karzai voiced disappointment Wednesday at worsening security. "One of the nation's biggest wishes was full security... which we have not brought. It has even dropped," he said in Kabul. Related Links News From Across The Stans
Pakistan summons US ambassador over air strikes
Islamabad (AFP) Oct 29, 2008Pakistan on Wednesday registered "a strong protest" with Washington's ambassador to Islamabad over a number of missile attacks by US drones inside its territory, the foreign ministry said. |
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