Hoon denies Afghan mission creep

Hoon said the marines will be in combat

The government has denied claims that UK forces could still be in Afghanistan in 10 years' time.

Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon told the BBC he could not put a time limit on the British role in the peacekeeping force in Kabul, but it was not "long term".

He also rejected reports the Royal Marines working alongside US forces in flushing out al-Qaeda suspects were primarily there to act as a deterrent and not to fight.

Conservative MP Patrick Mercer had earlier said senior officers in Kabul told him the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), currently British-led, will remain for between two and ten years.

There will clearly be fighting. We are asking people to put themselves at risk

Geoff Hoon
Defence secretary

Mr Mercer, who is on the defence select committee, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Quite clearly, our people are there for the long-term.

"The terms expressed to me were between two and 10 years."

But Mr Hoon, speaking on the same programme, said the British peacekeepers would only be there for "a limited period", although a reduced number would stay beyond June, when Turkey takes over Britain's leadership.

He said: "This will not be a substantial presence over the long-term, as you describe."

'Risk'

The minister said the role of ISAF had changed into one mainly concerned with rebuilding Kabul, rather than guarding it, and it was a role the Afghans were being trained to continue.

More than 400 Royal Marines completed a search of mountain caves on Thursday, at the request of the US, where they encountered no al-Qaeda fighters.

BBC correspondent Andrew Gilligan said military sources suggested the role of the marines was not a combative one, but to act as a deterrent to al-Qaeda fighters crossing the border from Pakistan.

Hoon: mission is a success

But Mr Hoon said: "There will clearly be fighting. We are asking people to put themselves at risk.

"That's a necessary part of dealing with the remnants of al-Qaeda and Taleban supporters."

He said the mountain mission had been a success in finding recent enemy occupations, gathering evidence, destroying ammunition and testing battle procedures.

But he could not say whether more British forces would be joining the marines to fight.

"The force of 1,700 which is what is now being deployed will be sufficient to deal with the threat as we understand it at the present time," he added.

The marines scoured the valleys

Professor Michael Clarke, from the Centre for Defence Studies in London, said the US and UK forces in Afghanistan were using different styles, because "the Americans use technology where we use people".

But he said the US "stand-off" approach had backfired already and they would put more troops on the ground.

Mr Mercer added: "The Americans have found it very much more challenging than they first thought."

On Thursday, a US fighter plane accidentally bombed a group of Canadian troops, killing four soldiers and injuring eight others, during a routine training exercise near Kandahar.

Later, Conservative shadow defence secretary Bernard Jenkin said Labour's tendency to be "reactive" not "proactive" was making the armed forces more overstretched.

"Mr Hoon's hesitations and prevarications this morning underline how he has lost control of the UK timetable in Afghanistan," added Mr Jenkin.