Blair makes material pledge to Afghanistan troops
Tony Blair has promised to provide British forces fighting in Afghanistan with better resources.
The prime minister’s comments came during an interview, broadcast to the armed forces, on the fifth anniversary of operations in Afghanistan. Troops were deployed in the country in 2001 following al-Qaida’s September 11th attacks on New York and Washington.
In the interview, Mr Blair praised the troops and reminded them of the reason for serving in the region – the need to remove the Taliban and al-Qaida from Afghanistan.
“If we let Afghanistan be used again as a training ground for the export of terrorism, it turns up on our streets – it harms British citizens. So what our troops are doing in Afghanistan is of fundamental importance not just to the security of our country but global security,” he said.
To help the troops, the prime minister has promised better resources such as helicopters and armoured vehicles. He told them that the British government will provide “whatever” commanders require for their mission.
“Let me just make one thing clear – if the commanders on the ground want more equipment, armoured vehicles for example, more helicopters – that will be provided,” Mr Blair said.
The prime minister is also expected to announce a better package, including higher pay and benefits, for the 18,500 British armed forces serving with Nato’s International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) in Afghanistan.
The mission against the Taliban had been “very, very tough”, the prime minister said, but he insisted the British forces were winning.
“Whenever you go into a battlefield situation like that, there are always things that you learn, there are always things that come at you in a more intense way than you expect,” Mr Blair stated.
“But what they’re doing is absolutely essential because the reason why they’re fighting hard is that the Taliban are fighting them hard and fortunately, since they’re up against the British troops – and our troops are fighting brilliantly – we are winning that.”
