Different tasks for US and UK troops

Britain and America are likely to make two large commitments of ground troops to Afghanistan next week - but for different purposes.

The US has warned of thousands of paratroopers and marines to join the hunt for Osama bin Laden and smash the al Qaeda network in southern Afghanistan.

At the same time Britain is to be asked to lead a powerful UN peace force to implement an interim deal for Afghanistan due to be hammered out at a meeting of Afghans and UN diplomats in Germany on Monday.

The UN force will consist mainly of European troops, with major contingents from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. It will also include soldiers from Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Once a temporary government is agreed by Afghan representatives at the Bonn meeting chaired by the UN special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, the force is expected to receive a UN mandate either from the Security Council, or in the form of an instruction from the Secretary General.

The transitional force is expected to be on the ground from eight to 10 weeks, while another force led by Turkey and other Muslim nations will prepare a peace force for a longer commitment in Afghanistan.

Britain has put a divisional headquarters, and two brigade headquarters on standby. The first major British unit to go to Afghanistan is likely to be The 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment, which has been on 48 hours' notice to move for the past week. Yesterday this was extended to 72 hours, as it is not likely to be required until the middle of next week at the earliest .

The peace force is likely to be under British command - along the lines of the Kosovo implementation force KFOR which went into Kosovo in June 1999. The US has given the plan its full blessing and will supply its strategic lift facilities, particularly its large military transport aircraft.

"The Americans want the force in," said a Pentagon source, adding: "They are fed up with the way some of the Northern Alliance are behaving. They've had them up to here.

"Some planners at Cent Com (Central Command now running Afghan operations) believe some of the Northern Alliance should be history."

The US insists, however, that the war against al Qaeda and the Taliban is far from over. More American ground forces are likely to be sent into Afghanistan soon. A force of 4,000 US marines is now aboard the ships of the naval task group in the Arabian Sea, and 1,600 are ready for immediate deployment.

Visiting troops of the 101 Airborne Division on the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday yesterday, President Bush warned that "the fight against terrorism is entering a dangerous phase". He also went on to tell members of the 101 Airborne - the Screaming Eagles - that they might not be home for Christmas.

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