ONE-HUNDRED-AND-FIFTY British troops from the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers Second Battalion based at the Dhekelia Garrison are being imminently deployed to Afghanistan, at the request of British commanders fighting an intensified campaign against the Taliban.
According to British Bases spokesman Dennis Barnes, “all our soldiers in Cyprus are under the banner of the Theatre Reserve Battalion, which is a reserve pool of soldiers. On the island, we have 1,200 infantry soldiers of which 600 are always at the ready to move anywhere in the world at 48 hours’ notice. They are fully trained and acclimatised for overseas operations and are used for short tours of up to four months.”
The troops will be under the command of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force, and are expected to be deployed in Helmand province.
“In the past, they have been used for force protection such as guarding base camps and also for engineering and reconstruction work,” said Barnes. “The troops remaining in Cyprus will have to cover their duties but it is not an unusual occurrence. Over the last two years, we’ve deployed troops four times to Iraq.”
He added that all wives and families will be kept informed.
“I’ve personally spoken to some of the troops and they’re enthusiastic about getting down to what we they call real soldiering,” he said. “The adrenaline will be pumping, I’m sure.”
Nine hundred troops in total are to be sent to Afghanistan, the British government announced on Monday.
Despite assurances from commanders last month that the current mission of 3,600 troops in Helmand province was adequate, the number is being increased to 4,500.
Senior defence chiefs insisted that the move was not the result of the deaths of six soldiers in the past month.
Des Browne, the Defence Secretary, who announced the build-up, denied that ministers had underestimated the threat faced by British forces deployed this year.
He told MPs that ministers and defence chiefs had expected “violent resistance” from the Taliban, drug lords and tribal elements and had deployed “tough capable units, with robust rules of engagement”.
