THE United States is building a command structure in Kandahar that will sideline the British general who takes command of southern Afghanistan in May.

Brigadier-General John Nicholson, a senior American officer who previously served in Afghanistan with the 10th Mountain Division, has already arrived in Kandahar to oversee the Afghan “surge”.

Although technically he will be subordinate to the British general who takes command in May, he will in reality have control of all US troops, UK defence sources said last week.

Nicholson’s bombproof, rocket-proof command centre will dwarf the British general’s headquarters, which ostensibly controls operations across southern Afghanistan.

The takeover will be complete by the autumn of next year when the US will assume permanent control of the south, which at present rotates between the British, Canadians and Dutch. The move to sideline the British comes amid tensions between the two countries’ armies over what the Americans see as British military failures in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Although US officers say they have no problem with the British military itself, they are unhappy with the failure to put sufficient troops into Helmand and the lack of reconstruction.

One British defence source said the US was concerned that the UK was “trying to do everything on the cheap” and moving towards a more “European” position along with countries such as Germany and Spain, which have proved reluctant to provide troops.

British military planners have earmarked an extra 3,000 troops for Afghanistan on the assumption that Barack Obama will ask Gordon Brown to send more troops when he takes over as the US president next week. But a source suggested Brown might not agree to the extra troops and questioned whether Britain would still be “playing at the top table”.

The Ministry of Defence and the Pentagon denied any knowledge of a report said to be circulating in London suggesting doubts in Washington about the effectiveness of UK troops.

Admiral Mike Mullen, the head of the US military, will increase the pressure on the British today, telling the CBS television show 60 Minutes that America is preparing to send up to 30,000 US troops into Afghanistan. The vast bulk of those are expected to go to the south with around 10,000 earmarked for Helmand province, threatening British control there.

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• 6 reasons not to give gifts this Christmas
• Remembrance Day: All the lonely heroes