BRITAIN: Former Labour Defence Minister, Mr Peter Kilfoyle, voiced the extreme concerns of Labour MPs yesterday about the prospect of Britain becoming "enmeshed" in military adventures driven by American political priorities.
And he evoked memories of Vietnam as the first contingent of 1,700 British Commandos prepared to join US forces in the latest phase of the war in Afghanistan in what Defence Secretary, Mr Geoff Hoon, has described as "unforgiving and hostile terrain against a dangerous enemy". Responding to the biggest British deployment of combat troops since the Gulf War - the new battle group built around the Marine commandos will take the total British presence in the Afghan theatre to over 6,000 - Mr Kilfoyle said: "The precedent for the situation we find ourselves in is Vietnam, and of course Harold Wilson - under great American pressure - kept us out."
Describing Labour MPs as "extremely concerned" over questions of intelligence, the chain of command and "exit strategy", Mr Kilfoyle told the BBC: "It is a very murky, messy picture we are putting our troops into." 10 Downing Street gave a dusty response to that, insisting the ongoing military campaign - barely two months after the Prime Minister Mr Blair declared the Taliban "defeated" and al-Qaeda "scattered" - was "well planned and evolving".
And Brigadier Roger Laine, who will lead the 1700-strong force, insisted his men "will prevail".
However he and the government were warned by defence experts that as many as 10,000 Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters could still be active in southern and south-eastern Afghanistan, as well as across the border in tribal areas of Pakistan. And Major Charles Heyman, editor of Jane's World Armies, said those numbers could rise as the winter snows melted and the conditions for fighting improved.
Major Richard King, who oversees 45 Commando's operations in the UK, echoed Mr Hoon's warning that Britain must be prepared for casualties. "I don't think anyone is under any illusions about what this operation may involve.
"It is an offensive operation and therefore casualties may be taken. But we're a professional force with a significant combat power at our disposal and we may use that to ensure there are ideally no casualties or very few," he said. Mr Hoon yesterday denied these British troops would be in Afghanistan "indefinitely" while making clear he did not contemplate their withdrawal until the threat from Taliban and al-Qaeda had been dealt with.
Their surprise revival and America's urgent request for the British troops best equipped for mountain warfare - combined with mounting evidence of public opposition to British support for US action against Iraq - could spell fresh trouble for ministers at today's weekly meeting of Labour MPs at Westminster.