The UK Deployment to Afghanistan
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House of Commons Defence Committee The UK deployment to Afghanistan Fifth Report of Session 2005–06 Report, together with formal minutes, oral and written evidence Ordered by The House of Commons to be printed 28 March 2006 HC 558 Published on 6 April 2006 by authority of the House of Commons London: The Stationery Office Limited £0.00 The Defence Committee The Defence Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Ministry of Defence and its associated public bodies. Current membership Rt Hon James Arbuthnot MP (Conservative, North East Hampshire) (Chairman) Mr David S Borrow MP (Labour, South Ribble) Mr Colin Breed MP (Liberal Democrat, South East Cornwall) Mr David Crausby MP (Labour, Bolton North East) Linda Gilroy MP (Labour, Plymouth Sutton) Mr David Hamilton MP (Labour, Midlothian) Mr Mike Hancock MP (Liberal Democrat, Portsmouth South) Mr Dai Havard MP (Labour, Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney) Mr Adam Holloway MP (Conservative, Gravesham) Mr Brian Jenkins MP (Labour, Tamworth) Mr Kevan Jones MP (Labour, Durham North) Robert Key MP (Conservative, Salisbury) Mr Mark Lancaster MP (Conservative, Milton Keynes North East) John Smith MP (Labour, Vale of Glamorgan) The following Members were also Members of the Committee during this Parliament. Derek Conway MP (Conservative, Old Bexley and Sidcup) Mr Desmond Swayne MP (Conservative, New Forest West) Powers The committee is one of the departmental select committees, the powers of which are set out in House of Commons Standing Orders, principally in SO No 152. These are available on the Internet via www.parliament.uk. Publications The Reports and evidence of the Committee are published by The Stationery Office by Order of the House. All publications of the Committee (including press notices) are on the Internet at: www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/defence_committee.cfm Committee staff The current staff of the Committee are Philippa Helme (Clerk), Richard Cooke (Second Clerk), Ian Rogers (Audit Adviser), Stephen Jones (Committee Specialist), Adrian Jenner (Inquiry Manager), Sue Monaghan (Committee Assistant), Sheryl Dinsdale (Secretary) and Stewart McIlvenna (Senior Office Clerk). Contacts All correspondence should be addressed to the Clerk of the Defence Committee, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA. The telephone number for general enquiries is 020 7219 5745; the Committee’s email address is [email protected]. Media inquiries should be addressed to Jessica Bridges- Palmer on 020 7219 0724. Cover photograph reproduced with the permission of the Ministry of Defence (www.mod.uk) Contents Report Page Summary 5 1 Introduction 7 Our inquiry 7 Background 8 International presence since 2001 8 The UK military commitment in Afghanistan 9 2 The ARRC leadership of ISAF 11 Background 11 Purpose of ISAF Mission 11 ISAF leadership 11 ISAF stage 3 expansion 12 ISAF/OEF coordination 14 ISAF stage 4 15 3 The UK deployment to Helmand 16 Background 16 Purpose 16 Building security and stability 17 The UK force package 18 The airlift and close air support package 19 Defensive Aid Suite 20 Threat to armoured vehicles 21 Treatment of detainees 21 Overstretch 22 Counter-narcotics mission 23 Background 23 Narcotics trade in Helmand 24 Reconstruction 25 A long term commitment? 26 Conclusions and recommendations 28 List of Abbreviations 32 Formal minutes 33 List of witnesses 34 List of written evidence 35 Defence Committee Reports in this Parliament 36 UNCLASSIFIED Karshi 60 0 E 62 0 64 0 66 0 68 0 70 0 72 0 74 0 CHINA DUSHANBE T A J I K I S T A N P ya AFGHANISTAN - Geography nd U Z B E K I S T A N zh T U R K M E N I S T A N 38 0 Heights in metres 38 0 5000 M ukry 4000 M ary 2700 Yangi Qal’eh h Khorog ndz 1500 udar’ya Termez ya Keleft Am P 600 Feyzabad Shir ● K ok ● 0 Khan KHVEJ ch Andkhvoy Kheyrabad GHAR a FAIZABAD ir am Mazar-e Sharif Kondoz ● ●Taloqan P Balkh Ishkashim SHEBERGHAN ● ● Sheberghan ● ● MAZAR-E KUNDUZ Khanabad DEH DADI SHARIF H M ashhad S U K Sar-e Pol Aybak ●Baghlan MEYMANEH U 36 0 36 0 ●● Meymaneh Pol-e Khomri D N ANJUMAN M ari I PASS Chaq H uz d n o Dowshi Q Gushgy SALANG hab (Kushka) urg PASS M Torbat-e Jam Towraghondi P A K I S T A N Mahmud-e Ragi K Charikar ● os Qal’eh-ye Now Bamian hk ● BAGRAM Asadabad SABZAK CEN T RA L HAJJI GAK HAFT Mehta Lam LATEH BAND PASS PASS PASS KABUL INTL PASS Eslam Qaleh Chaghcharan H I G H L A N D S ● Kabul KABUL Panjab WONAY PASS Jalalabad Ghurian Herat Hari Rud Gonabad Meydan Shahr Kow t-e JALALABAD ● Ashrow ● Landi HERAT Kotal 0 0 34 Pol-e‘Alam KHYBER 34 Baraki PASS Peshawar Qal’eh-ye Khan TIREH PASS ISLAMABAD GARDEZ NEW Gardiz Ghazni ● BATI PASS SHINDAND INDIA ● Khowst Shindand Sharan M oqor Tarin Kowt Ab-e Istadeh-ye I R A N M oqor t a r a Farah H Band-e Kajaki ak rn a Delaram Qalat T 0 0 32 b 32 da Derakht-e Yahya Gereshk n ● Dera Ismail Khan ha Lash-e Joveyn rg A a GHOMAL REFERENCE ud Kandahar r Jehil-e Puzak R Lashkar Gah n o PASS sh ● asta L a rgh h ● A K BOST ● KANDAHAR International boundary ............... INTL Main road .................................... Zabol Zaranj Secondary road ........................... Spin Buldak Chaman Railway (broad gauge) ............... KHOKJAK PASS Airfield .......................................... ● HERAT P A K I S T A N Helmand Quetta 30 0 N 30 0 N 0 KM S 100 Gow d-e Zereh Zahedan 0 M ILES 100 SCALE TRUE AT LATITUDE 33° NORTH ● 60 0 E 62 0 64 0 66 0 68 0 70 0 72 0 74 0 DEFENCE INTELLIGENCE STAFF Amey M apping C11010/02/08/U © Crow n copyright 2006 Afghanistan: Helmand Province GHOWR DAYKONDI 33˚ Baghran FARAH ORUZGAN ● Deh Rawod Musa Qala Naw Zad Kajaki ● Naw Zad Washer Asad● Sangin 32˚ ● Shurakian Gereshk ● Nahri Sarraj Luy Bagh ● ●Lowkhi Nad Ali Marjeh ● Lashkar Gah ● ● Aynak NIMRUZ Naway i Barakzayi Lashkar Gah ● Gharmsir HELMAND 31˚ N ● O Kuchnay R G Reg Darvishan M A T - E ● Yasinza’i Kalay D A S H Qaleh-ye Now ● KANDAHAR ● Sar Banader Taghaz● ● Alimardan Khan-e Bagat ● N Hajji Sarvar Khan Kalay A T S E R I G Garmser Dishu 30˚N L L S CH A H G A Y H I 0 50 KMS P A K I S T A N 63˚ 64˚ East of Greenwich 65˚ DEFENCE INTELLIGENCE STAFF Amey Mapping C10737/02/08/U © Crown copyright 2005 Fifth Report 5 Summary Building stability and security in Afghanistan and checking the narcotics trade, are vital objectives both for Afghanistan and for the stability of the Central Asia region. The UK is currently involved in two military operations in Afghanistan: the US-led coalition Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) with a counter-terrorism mission; and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) with a security and stabilisation mission which will extend into the Western and Southern provinces during 2006. In due course, the ISAF and OEF missions will merge so that ISAF’s authority will cover the whole of the country. The UK is at the centre of these developments. The UK-led HQ Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) will command ISAF from May 2006 to February 2007, a period coinciding with the expansion of ISAF’s presence. This will be a crucial time for ISAF. The Southern provinces will be a testing security environment and it is vital for the future of Afghanistan and the credibility of NATO that the mission is successful. We were impressed by the professionalism of the people in the ARRC and we are confident that the ARRC will meet the challenges it faces. From June 2006, the UK’s 16 Air Assault Brigade will deploy to Helmand province as part of ISAF’s stage 3 expansion. Its mission is to bring increased security and stability to the province and to check the narcotics trade. It faces significant obstacles, and the security situation is fragile. The opium trade flourishes and the livelihoods of many people rely on it. There is therefore real tension between the tasks of achieving security and reducing the opium trade. The role of UK Services in the dangerous counter-narcotics mission should be clarified. We are deeply concerned that the UK airlift and close air support capability may not be sufficient to support the Helmand deployment. The MoD should ensure that close air support should continue to be available in Helmand, if necessary by keeping the Harrier GR7 squadron at Kandahar. We also have concerns about the effect the Helmand deployment might have on the overstretch of our Armed Forces, particularly on pinchpoint trade personnel, and we will monitor this and the other matters which have caused us concern, very closely. Fifth Report 7 1 Introduction Our inquiry 1. At our first meeting on 21 July 2005, the Committee agreed that it should conduct an inquiry into the UK deployment to Afghanistan. Our intention was to examine the purpose of the proposed deployment of NATO’s UK-led HQ Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) to Afghanistan which was to coincide with the expansion of the ISAF mission to its Western and Southern provinces (ISAF stage 3). Our intention was also to examine the objectives of the UK deployment to Helmand province as part of the ISAF stage 3 expansion and to seek information from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) about the proposals for merging ISAF with the Operation Enduring Freedom mission.1 2.