UK Defense Minister Says Afghan Army To Expand

UK Defense Minister Says Afghan Army To Expand (NSI News Source Info) LONDON - October 22, 2008: British Defense Secretary John Hutton made a surprise visit to Afghanistan on Tuesday, visiting a former Taliban stronghold where he praised the work of the Afghan army.

A British military vehicle drives past an Afghan man in Lashkar Gah, capital of Helmand province October 20, 2008.

Hutton, appointed three weeks ago in a reshuffle of the British government, traveled to Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, a restive region where the Taliban remain strong and where around 8,100 British troops are based. "It is a vital sign of improving security conditions that I have been able to stand in Musa Qala district center today," Hutton said in a statement, referring to a town in northern Helmand that late last year was still in Taliban hands. "Afghan security forces, supported by international forces, are becoming more capable and increasingly able to plan and head operations effectively. The Afghan National Army has been a considerable success story and I welcome plans to expand it." Afghanistan's army currently stands at about 70,000 soldiers but there are plans to expand it to around 135,000 in the coming years and gradually give it more responsibility for security, taking over from the 70,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan. Despite the steps the army has taken, however, security analysts say a major problem remains the Afghan National Police, which is widely regarded by Afghans and foreign officials to be corrupt, inefficient and poorly trained. Because the police have much closer daily contact with the population, there are fears corrupt policing will turn Afghans against the government and toward the Taliban, which remains strong in the south and east of the country. As well as those fears, there is also a pressing need to deliver aid and reconstruction throughout Afghanistan, a country that remains sorely underdeveloped more than seven years after U.S.-led troops invaded to overthrow Taliban rule. Hutton acknowledged that reconstruction and development were lagging, and said more would be done to try to improve government amid allegations of corruption at the highest levels, including links to the heroin poppy and drug trade. "I am realistic ... that there is still much to do and we remain understandably focused on providing the security conditions to allow reconstruction and governance to take place," Hutton said. "There is no doubt in my mind that Britain's top priority should be to do everything we can to aid the improving reach of the government of Afghanistan across Helmand." Britain has gradually increased its focus on Afghanistan in recent months as it seeks to draw down its forces in Iraq, where around 4,000 troops remain. Those forces are expected to be pulled out next year, opening the way for a bolstering of forces in Afghanistan.