Britain’s defence secretary Mr Geoff Hoon announced today that a multinational force of between 3,000 and 5,000 troops would be deployed to Kabul and led for the first three months by Britain, which will contribute up to 1,500 troops.
"I can now confirm that the United Kingdom is formally prepared to take on the leadership of an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) for a limited period of three months," Mr Hoon told the House of Commons.
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He said that foreign secretary Mr Jack Straw had written a letter to the United Nations proposing that Britain would lead the ISAF.
He said that, given the need to conclude a military agreement with the Afghan leadership, the main body of the force will not begin to deploy before December 28th.
The exact size and composition of the ISAF will not be decided until the "military technical agreement" (MTA) with the interim administration led by Hamid Karzai is signed, according to defence officials.
However, officials made clear that failure to get agreement on the MTA would be a "red card" for the whole operation. Once the agreement is in place it is expected that there will be a gradual build up of the force, which should be operational some time well into January.
It was announced that an advance-party of 100 Royal Marines would be sent in time for Mr Karzai's take-over on Saturday. The special forces would bolster an existing presence at Bagram airfield, north of Kabul which includes some 40 marines, to be used as required.
In Rome, Mr Karzai said that the force would leave the country "as soon as we have the protection of our borders, of our country and a government chosen by the Afghan people."
He also warned: "The international community saw the consequences of neglecting Afghanistan. It should be wise enough not to do it again."
AFP