Britain cuts overseas forces

Britain is to reduce dramatically its forces committed to Afghanistan, the Balkans and Sierra Leone, Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon is to announce to Parliament today.

With the handover of command of the international peace force in Kabul to the Turks today, and the withdrawal of the Royal Marines battlegroup, the number of British troops in Afghanistan will go down from more than 3,000 to 300.

In the Balkans, the British commitment to Kosovo goes down this autumn from 3,000, to a single battalion of under 1,000. A small brigade of about 3,000 is to be committed to Bosnia.

The British mission to train the army in Sierra Leone has also come to an end, although Britain will continue to support the large UN force there.