Britain defends Afghan mission as criticism grows

Britain defended its role in Afghanistan and the reliability of its equipment yesterday after the country's worst military air crash in years sparked growing criticism of the British mission in the country.

Fourteen military personnel died when a Nimrod MR2 reconnaissance aircraft crashed, apparently due to a technical problem, in the southern province of Kandahar on Saturday. The loss, coupled with the death of seven British soldiers in a month in fierce fighting with Taliban guerrillas in the south, revived questions about the nature of the British mission and whether simultaneous deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq were stretching the military's resources beyond its limits.

Critics say the British troops went to southern Afghanistan to provide security for reconstruction but have been drawn into a full-scale war with the Taliban. "I think the armed forces have been under-funded and under-equipped now for some time, yet they are doing far more than they've ever done. So the government needs now to square up to their responsibilities," Iain Duncan Smith, a former leader of the opposition Conservative Party, told Sky television. "The government are going to have to answer some very, very hard questions about what (British) troops are doing in Afghanistan and if the force levels are appropriate?," defence analyst Charles Heyman said.

Defence Secretary Des Browne, interviewed on the BBC, said there was no link between the plane crash and criticism about the resources that British troops in Afghanistan had. "The RAF (Royal Air Force) has an exemplary record of maintaining and supporting its aircraft," Mr Browne said. An investigation into the crash is under way, but Mr Browne repeated that "all the indications" were that the crash was an accident.

Mr Browne and Nato officials have rejected Taliban assertions they shot down the plane. Mr Browne stressed Britain's commitment to the Afghan mission. "We have an international responsibility to these people (the Afghans) and to ourselves to see this through," he said. Britain has faced unexpectedly fierce resistance from Taliban fighters since sending the first large foreign force to the southern province of Helmand, the main opium-growing region, this year as part of an expanding Nato peacekeeping mission.

Saturday's crash brought to 36 the British service members who have died in Afghanistan since November 2001. The fierce resistance in Helmand has prompted questions about whether the British mission is clear and whether its forces are equipped for the job. Newspapers have been full of talk of exhausted troops, budget cuts affecting the army's resources and criticism that the force does not have enough soldiers or equipment such as armoured vehicles.

Responding to the fierce Taliban resistance, Britain said in July it would send 900 more troops and extra helicopters to southern Afghanistan, bringing the total force in the region to 4,500. It has also ordered more armoured vehicles.

Meanwhile Nato and Afghan forces killed dozens of Taliban fighters in a major air and ground offensive in southern Afghanistan, Nato said yesterday. Hundreds of Nato and Afghan troops, backed by warplanes and helicopter gunships, were involved in Operation Medusa launched on Saturday in Panjwai district of Kandahar province.

A Royal Air Force Nimrod MR2 plane crashed while providing support for the operation. Officials say the crash was caused by a technical problem, though the Taliban claimed its fighters shot down the plane with a Stinger missile.

"The Taliban have suffered heavy casualties in the operation," Major Scott Lundy, a Nato spokesman, adding that no combat casualties had been suffered on the Afghan and Nato side.

A Nato statement released from Kandahar Airfield later said dozens of insurgents had been killed and many more wounded.

Panjwai, southwest of Kandahar city, had been a centre of Taliban resistance, Major Lundy said.

The operation was the biggest launched by the alliance since it took over command of the southern region on July 31 from US-led coalition forces, Major Lundy said.

Panjwai has seen heavy fighting before, and several thousand people fled the region earlier this year to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

This time, Major Lundy said, Nato asked villagers to evacuate the area beforehand and there were no reports of civilian casualties.

A purported Taliban member, Nasib Khan, phoned Reuters from the battle zone and denied that any Taliban fighters had been killed.

The sound of artillery fire, and explosions resounded as he spoke, and the cries of children were heard in the background.