Withdraw marines, Britain told

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, NOV. 17. Britain was today trying to defuse a growing row over the role of its troops in Afghanistan after the Northern Alliance complained that the 100 British Marines who arrived at the Bagram airbase, north of Kabul, on Friday, had been sent without consulting them, and questioned their presence. The U.K. Defence Ministry was verifying reports that a senior Alliance officer had demanded the withdrawal of the commandos and suggested that a small group stay back for humanitarian assistance.

The BBC said the Alliance leaders were meeting to discuss the deployment of foreign troops, and a leader of the Tajik Jamiat faction, Mr. Engineer Arif, was quoted as saying: ``Our decision is that 15 of them can stay and the others must go. If they accept (the decision) 15 can stay, otherwise all of them must go.''

The demand, which has caused both embarrassment and consternation here, was reported even as the Northern Alliance envoy in London, Mr. Ahmed Wali Massoud, said the Alliance did not need foreign troops in Kabul and warned that they stay away. ``We were not told the British troops were arriving at Bagram. We do not know why they are there. Foreign armies should be careful about going into Afghanistan,'' he told The Times.

His remarks followed criticism by Alliance commanders in Afghanistan who said they were surprised to see British troops bustling about the Soviet-built airbase. An Alliance spokesman was widely quoted in the British media as saying that the marines had come unannounced and uninvited. ``Their arrival was not coordinated with us. It was their own decision.'' According to The Daily Telegraph, the presence of the British troops had created ``tension'' as the Alliance feared that they were likely to ``start dictating terms.''

``We are not asking for any foreign help. We don't need it. We can find terrorists ourselves,'' an Alliance commander told the newspaper.

The British Government, however, maintained that the troops had been sent after the Alliance had been informed at the ``highest level,'' and observers agreed that it was inconceivable that the marines had landed in Afghanistan without prior understanding. The problem, they said, seemed to lie in the scramble for power among the various local warlords. Having gained large territories in the past few days, they were beginning to flex their ``political muscles'' and resent attempts by the international community to force any arrangement on them, The Times said.

The angry Alliance reaction came as more British troops prepared to leave for Afghanistan to help with the humanitarian work amid concern that the military and political establishments were sending out confusing messages. The Foreign Secretary, Mr. Jack Straw, was seen as making ``contradictory'' statements, saying on the one hand that the troops were there to make the airbase secure for humanitarian assistance and, on the other, suggesting that they would be involved in breaking up the Al-Qaeda network and bringing Osama bin Laden to justice.

``Mr. Straw's contradictory remarks have exasperated the Defence Ministry officials. Yet, the Defence Secretary, Mr. Geoff Hoon, has also struggled to define the task in hand. Ministers, from Mr. Blair down, need to agree and publicly set out clear aims, limits and rules of engagement,'' The Guardian commented editorially.

Elsewhere, it said ``different messages'' had been coming out of Whitehall with ``Mr. Tony Blair enthusiastically pronouncing on the potential roles of British troops'' even as the Defence Ministry had been ``more cautious.'' One report said the Ministry wanted to ensure that there were ``good reasons'' for the British troops to go to Afghanistan, and that there was a ``clear exit strategy''.

Meanwhile, there was concern here over the U.S. Vice- President, Mr. Dick Cheney's ``warning'' that after Afghanistan, the U.S. military machine would turn to other nations suspected of harbouring terrorists. This renewed speculation about the U.S. intentions towards Iraq, a prime target of hawks in Washington. Britain has made clear that it is opposed to extending the current war to Baghdad.

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Section  : International
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