BRITAIN is preparing to send one of the most potent fighting units to Afghanistan next year, quadrupling the number of British troops in the country.

A battle group from 16 Air Assault Brigade, backed by the Army’s new Apache attack helicopter, has been earmarked for deployment to Afghanistan in the spring.

Although John Reid, the Defence Secretary, has yet to make final decisions on the strength of the reinforcements, the make-up of the force has been drawn up by the Ministry of Defence’s Permanent Joint Headquarters.

The lead element of the 2,000-strong battle group, to be deployed in the Helmand province of southern Afghanistan, will be the 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment. At least one squadron of eight Apaches will be included in the package, to provide maximum firepower for the battle group, which will be based in one of the most volatile regions of Afghanistan.

For the Apache Army Air Corps crews, it will be their first mission since the helicopter came into service this year. Another 1,500 to 2,000 British troops are expected to be sent to Kabul, the Afghan capital, bringing the total British military presence to between 3,500 and 4,000. At present there are about 900 British servicemen and women in Afghanistan.

Helmand is home to some of the biggest opium barons, and the Paras will be expected to launch operations against them as part of their mission.

The planned reinforcements are beginning to take priority over the mission in Iraq where about 8,000 British troops are deployed. Mr Reid has made clear that the Armed Forces are capable of taking on an expanded role in Afghanistan without having to withdraw any troops from Iraq.

However, the proposed enhanced mission in Afghanistan will cause problems in other areas, notably helicopters and transport aircraft that are in short supply. The Afghan deployments will require a huge logistical back-up, which might mean having to switch assets away from Iraq.

The surge in troops to Afghanistan next year will meet a pledge made by Tony Blair at the Nato summit in Istanbul in June last year. He told President Karzai that the West would not turn its back on Afghanistan.

Nato runs the 6,500-strong International Security Assistance Force (Isaf), based in Kabul. Next year the Isaf remit is to be expanded to southern Afghanistan, and a British general will take charge. The final make-up of the force, which will take over command from the Americans, will have to be approved by the North Atlantic Council. All Nato members have been asked to contribute more troops, and Canadian and Dutch soldiers are expected to join the British in southern Afghanistan.

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