Blair: Nato has duty to do Afghan job properly
US troops make up the bulk of foreign forces in Afghanistan
Also In The News
|
Michael Ballack scored his first goal for Chelsea as the Premiership champions opened their European campaign with a 2-0 win over Werder Bremen. |  |
Wednesday, 13, Sep 2006 03:25
Tony Blair has today called on the rest of Nato to follow Britain's lead and commit more troops to Afghanistan.
Members of the 37-nation coalition are meeting in Brussels today in an attempt to draw out a commitment to add 2,500 troops to the 18,500 there already.
But initial reports from the meeting suggest that there has been no formal offer of any extra troops.
Mr Blair has urged Nato countries to come to an agreement, insisting that they have a duty to respond to the need for continuing troop numbers in Afghanistan and a collective responsibility to fight al-Qaida and the remnants of the Taliban.
"Nato is looking at what further requirements there are. Nato and Nato countries have got a duty to respond to that," he said after meeting with Chinese premier Wen Jiabao in London this morning.
"The British forces are making their contribution and I would like to pay tribute to the bravery and the commitment of our forces in Afghanistan at the moment."
Britain currently has about 5,500 troops in Afghanistan and, along with the US and Canada, makes up the bulk of the foreign personnel in the country.
Mr Blair added: "There are two other things that need to be said. The first is that this British commitment in Afghanistan is important. They are inflicting real damage on the Taliban and al-Qaida. It is important that the whole of Nato regards this as their responsibility.
"Secondly we should never forget that the reason why our troops are in Afghanistan along with other Nato countries is that out of Afghanistan came the terrorism of 9/11. The Taliban and al-Qaida training camps for terrorism were the reason we went there.
"It is of fundamental importance to the security of this country, never mind the broader world, that we make sure the job in Afghanistan is done properly."
He said that the British troops in Afghanistan were "fighting in difficult conditions" but were nevertheless performing "brilliantly".
Liberal Democrat leader Menzies Campbell added: "If Nato countries are unwilling to provide sufficient forces and equipment to enable the existing strategy to be fully implemented, the strategy may well have to be rethought.
"What is not sustainable in the long run is for the UK to shoulder a disproportionate burden in Afghanistan."
Britain has lost 35 defence personnel since troops were moved into the volatile south of the country, where drug trafficking and insurgency are rife, in March this year. Some 19 of those have died this month alone.