UK to send 600 troops to Afghanistan as security situation deteriorates

Military staff will provide support to British citizens leaving the country

British troops patrol Showal in Nad-e-Ali district, southern Afghanistan, in 2010. AFP

More UK military personnel will be sent to Afghanistan to provide support for British citizens leaving the country, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has announced.

About 600 troops will be sent to Afghanistan as violence increases and security rapidly deteriorates.

The additional support will arrive in Kabul over the coming days.

The number of staff working at the British embassy in Kabul has been reduced to a core team focused on consular and visa services for those needing to quickly leave.

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office changed travel advice last Friday to recommend that all British citizens leave Afghanistan as soon as possible, while commercial travel is still available.

UK troops will provide force protection and logistical support for the relocation of British citizens where required and assist with speeding up the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy.

This will ensure interpreters and other Afghan staff who worked alongside UK forces in Afghanistan can relocate to the UK as soon as possible.

“I have authorised the deployment of additional military personnel to support the diplomatic presence in Kabul, assist British nationals to leave the country and support the relocation of former Afghan staff who risked their lives serving alongside us," Mr Wallace said.

“The security of British nationals, British military personnel and former Afghan staff is our first priority. We must do everything we can to ensure their safety.”

Sir Laurie Bristow, the UK ambassador to Afghanistan, will continue to lead a small team that will relocate within Kabul to a more secure location.

The team will also focus on working with international partners to support the Afghan government.

The relocation assistance programme, launched on April 1, has already supported more than 3,100 former Afghan staff and their families to start new lives in the UK, with more than 1,800 of them arriving over the past few weeks.

In coming days, the UK government will further accelerate work on the scheme to ensure those who are eligible can go through the necessary security checks and have the required documents to travel to the UK.