Britain commits 4,000 troops to next phase of war

More than 4,000 British servicemen and women,including Royal Marine commandos, will take part in the next phase of the war in Afghanistan.

The announcement was made to the Commons by Armed Forces minister Adam Ingram, and coincided with Geoff Hoon, Secretary of State for Defence, briefing commanders in Oman, where the bulk of the British force for Afghanistan is currently on exercise, in Operation Saif Sareea II.

The British task force willl include a submarine, four warships, seven support vessels and Nimrod and Hercules support aircraft. 200 commandos of the Royal Marines will be based on assault ships in the region, ready for operations in Afghanistan. Another 400 commandos will be on standby in Britain for operations, Mr said.

Most of the Royal Navy fleet involved in Saif Sareea will stay behind off Oman. The Marines are expected to spend up to three weeks at sea on the aircraft carrier HMS Fearless, which is being modified, before taking part in land action.

That means British involvement will begin after the Afghan winter sets in.

Mr Ingram said the force was a "concrete demonstration of our resolve to see the international campaign against terrorism through to the end."