British troops 'ready in five days'

British troops will be involved in security operations

Thousands of British troops are on 48-hour standby to be sent to Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has revealed.

The move follows consultations between London and Washington on how to prevent a security vacuum in the country after the fall of the capital Kabul to Northern Alliance forces.

The MoD says it has "several thousand" troops on 48-hour notice to move to the cities of Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif.

Later MoD sources said the earliest British troops could be sent to Afghanistan was in five days' time, because the standby period would not come into effect for three days.

But officials stressed that UK troops would not be used for a prolonged peace-keeping role, and any possible deployment would have a definite time limit.

We think the degree of risk could well be small but that doesn't mean that could not change over time if we overstay our welcome

Defence source

Earlier, Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme: "British forces are ready to help in Afghanistan should they be needed. It will depend on the situation on the ground."

Mr Hoon, speaking from Uzbekistan, said troops with specialist skills could also be used to help with tasks such as mine clearance and engineering repairs.

"Literally prepare the ground for a future peacekeeping force", he said.

Defence sources said it had not yet been decided how the troops would be deployed, but ideally they would go in and out of Afghanistan relatively quickly, as they did in Macedonia.

Security role

Officials said no decision had yet been taken to deploy any of the units concerned and that the move was simply a "sensible precautionary measure" in the light of the changing situation.

But they made it clear the troops would not be used in offensive operations against the Taleban or in an extended policing role.

"One would be unwise to get into the business of saying we can guarantee peace in Afghanistan. Some rough things happen in Afghanistan," one senior source said.

The units are sad to include the whole of 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, the entire 45 Commando of the Royal Marines, and elements from 16 Air Assault Brigade and 3 Commando Brigade.

They will be helped by a contingent of the Royal Engineers, transport aircraft, support helicopters and mine clearers.

Mr Blair said there is still work to be done

Officials said they would be considering short, strictly "time-limited" operations.

Among the tasks they could perform could be opening up a humanitarian corridor for aid convoys or securing Kabul airport if it was needed to allow the process of forming a new government to go forward.

Military commanders calculate that the degree of risk associated with such operations is likely to be small but they are determined to avoid getting drawn into a prolonged commitment in a potentially hostile environment.

"We think the degree of risk could well be small but that doesn't mean that could not change over time if we overstay our welcome," one source said.

The troops will work separately from the 4,200 British soldiers already involved in the Afghanistan war.