British troops to 'pull out' of Sangin
Updated on 07 July 2010
With an announcement expected of British withdrawal from Sangin, in Afghanistan, Channel 4 News international editor Lindsey Hilsum argues UK force numbers have simply not been high enough to overwhelm the Taliban.
It is understood defence secretary Dr Liam Fox will announce that UK forces will be pulled out of the Sangin area of northern Helmand Province, a month after Britain handed over command to an American general.
The decision would mean that British forces concentrating on Helmand's populous central belt, with US troops left to focus on the north and south of the province.
Over 90 UK troops have died in Sangin, which is currently home to 40 Commando Royal Marines, following some of the fiercest fighting British forces have endured since the second world war.
The town is a major centre of Afghanistan's opium-growing industry.
'Helmand too important to leave to the British'
Today the MoD is expected to announce that the British are going to hand over the US troops in Sangin, writes Lindsey Hilsum.
The 9,500 British troops in Helmand are simply not enough to overwhelm the Taliban - that's why the Americans are taking over.
One third of British troops deaths have occurred in Sangin, where 800 British soldiers brave IEDs and sniper fire every day. It's not clear how many US troops will go there but it will be far more. Already there are twice as many US as British in Helmand, and by August US forces will outnumber the British by three to one.
For the Americans, Helmand is too important to leave to the British who have manifestly failed to prevail.
Control of Musa Qala, a key town in northern Helmand which the British captured and lost twice, and where 23 were killed, was handed over to US marines in April.
Britain's 8,000 forces in Helmand are now greatly outnumbered by the 20,000 US Marines sent there under President Barack Obama's surge strategy.
In June the 300th soldier to die in Afghanistan was confirmed as a Royal Marine of 40 Commando who had been serving in Sangin. Around a of third of the lives lost have been in Sangin, a remote district in Helmand province.
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The Ministry of Defence refused to comment on the expected announcement.
An MoD spokesman said: "UK forces continue to make real progress across Helmand, including in Sangin, one of the most contested and challenging areas in southern Afghanistan.
"Isaf is responsible for ensuring the most effective allocation of international forces to deliver the campaign strategy in Afghanistan and the UK fully supports Isaf commanders in this aim.
312 British soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since operations began in 2001. To view the list in full click here for an interactive gallery.
The news came as the MoD announced the name of a soldier killed in Afghanistan on Monday. Trooper James Leverett, 20, of the Royal Dragoon Guards, was killed by a roadside bomb in the south of the country.
His comrades today described him as a "model soldier" who had made his mark during his 18 months in the regiment.
Life on the Frontline
Channel 4 News spent a month embedded with the British army in Afghanistan earlier this year.
Video journalist Vaughan Smith went on patrol in Helmand province with a group of soldiers tasked with keeping the Taliban out of the village of Kushal Kalay, so that another group could go in and clear the area of Taliban bombs.
See his insider's view of their three and a half-hour patrol here.
