UK troops leave Afghanistan's Sangin
Updated on 20 September 2010
British forces in southern Afghanistan have handed responsibility for security in Sangin, in Helmand province, to the United States army. Conservative MP and former soldier Patrick Mercer tells Channel 4 News the British are not "running away".
The pull out of British troops was announced by defence secretary Dr Liam Fox in July this year.
The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said the handover of the Sangin area to US forces was part of the rebalancing of ISAF troops across Helmand.
It follows an increase in ISAF and Afghan security forces in the area recently, and aims to ensure there is an equal distribution of ISAF forces across the area.
British forces have been fighting in Sangin since 2006, and have suffered heavy losses there.
Dr Fox said: "British forces have served in Sangin over the last four years and should be very proud of the achievements they have made in one of the most challenging areas of Afghanistan.
"The level of sacrifice has been high and we should never forget the many brave troops who have lost their lives in the pursuit of success in an international mission rooted firmly in our own national security in the UK."
Taliban heartland
The troops will now focus their efforts in central Helmand, working alongside the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) to combat insurgency.
US Marine Corps will take over from the 40 British Commando Royal Marines, currently deployed with 4 Mechanised Brigade, in Sangin.
'Not running away'
"Sangin has been difficult and there has been a lot of casualties. The fact remains that there will probably, sadly, be as many US casualties as British casualties," Conservative MP and former soldier Patrick Mercer told Channel 4 News.
"It's not a question of the British running away from a difficult area, it's simply a tactical decision on the ground which will make command and control easier for everyone."
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"The handover of Sangin by UK forces represents sound military rationale and reflects the increase of both ISAF and Afghan forces across Helmand over the course of the past year. British troops will redeploy to central Helmand, in support of ISAF's main effort, where they will continue to lead the fight against the insurgency and assist in building a stable and secure Afghanistan that can stand on its own two feet," Dr Fox added.
Major General Gordon Messenger, the chief of the defence staff's strategic communications officer, said British forces had ensured that the Afghan government's authority was recognised in Sangin, an area "the Taliban regard as their heartland".
He said: "Our troops operating in Sangin have been taking the fight to the Taliban and by doing so have reduced the threat of violence spreading elsewhere. The progress and momentum in central Helmand would not have been possible without their endeavour and sacrifice. It is and will continue to be a challenging area."
Sangin has strategic importance to the Afghan government, ISAF forces and the insurgency, and is an economic and transport hub. Power lines run through the area, which is also one of the most fertile in Helmand.
'Exhausting and bloody deployment'
The questions that surround today's handover of Sangin to the US Marines seem almost part of an era past in Afghanistan, writes Channel 4 News Foreign Correspondent Nick Paton Walsh.
Did Britain's immense sacrifice in this town lead to a level of governance and security that we could be proud of? Were the troops, from day one, properly equipped and supported to do the job they needed to do? No, is the answer on both counts.
But we have known that for some time. Even the pattern of the handover is familiar: the ceremony; the platitudes from American counterparts about how positive the situation is. In a similar handover in Basra, however, the hundreds of US special forces that retook the town after years of British making-do, arrived on the quiet. In Helmand, you could hardly miss the tens of thousands of US Marines aggressively hoping to fill in the blanks of Britain's exhausting and bloody deployment.
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'We have lost brave marines'
British troops have achieved notable progress in Sangin - the area's district governance has reformed, shops have re-opened, there is a new health clinic and improved transport.
Lieutenant Colonel Paul James, commanding officer of 40 Commando Royal Marines, said: "It's been a hard fight for 40 Commando Royal Marines in Sangin, but we have achieved much...There is still work to do, and we are confident that our American partners will build on what we have achieved. We have lost brave marines, but we will do them proud and return home with our heads held high."
There are now 30,000 ISAF troops in Helmand, and 7,000 ANSF. In January 2009 there were just 5,000 troops in the area, mainly British.
British fatalities in Sangin
- 106 British soldiers have died in Sangin.
- Deaths in Sangin represent a third of the 337 fatalities of British troops in Afghanistan since the war began in 2001.
- The most recent soldier to be killed in the dangerous area was Spr Darren Forster of 21 Engineer Regiment. He died Fri 13 Aug 2010, aged 20, and was killed by small arms fire in the Sangin district of Helmand province.
- Capt David Patten, of the Parachute Regiment, aged 38, and Sgt Paul Bartlett, aged 35, of the Royal Marines, were the first British soldiers to die in Sangin. They were killed on Tue 27 June 2006 when a UK patrol came under attack during a planned operation in the Sangin valley, northern Helmand province.
