British commanders want tanks to fight Taliban’
December 20th, 2010 - 4:54 pm ICT by ANI
London/Kabul, Dec. 20 (ANI): Senior British Army commanders have asked for Challenger 2 tanks to be deployed in the southern Afghan province of Helmand to fight the Taliban.
The tanks would provide close support for infantry and protection against improvised explosive devices (IEDs), the Sunday Times and The Telegraph quoted the commanders, as saying.
The move follows a decision by the US to send a similar number of heavy Abrams tanks.
Until now, the Ministry of Defence has turned down requests for Challengers in Afghanistan, for fear that it would send out the wrong message to locals.
Battle tanks were used by the USSR during its invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. The machines’ burned out hulks still litter the landscape.
The coalition government announced in the strategic defence review that it would cut the army’s 345, 63-ton Challengers by about 40 per cent.
A defence ministry spokesman said that no decision had yet been made. (ANI)
- Britain to withdraw troops from Afghanistan from 2012: UK army chief - Nov 29, 2010
- Special forces winning battle against Taliban insurgents: US, UK commanders - Mar 16, 2011
- Prince Harry to return to Afghan combat duty - Jun 16, 2011
- Britian to send two more fighter jets to Afghanistan - Aug 12, 2010
- 18 Taliban killed in Afghanistan - Aug 13, 2011
- 14 militants killed in Afghanistan - Sep 10, 2011
- Indian Army testing its readiness in Punjab war game - May 04, 2012
- Terror in Kabul: Antony asks armed forces to be vigilant - Apr 16, 2012
- UK troops may spend five more years in Helmand - Jan 25, 2010
- 20 Afghan militants killed - May 28, 2012
- Four kids die in Afghanistan bombing - Nov 19, 2011
- President witnesses war game, urges modernisation - Dec 05, 2011
- Varun Gandhi among MPs at Indian Army exercise - Dec 03, 2011
- Three Taliban killed, 29 held in Afghanistan - Dec 01, 2011
- British forces hand over restive Afghan district to US - Sep 20, 2010
Tags: abrams tanks, army commanders, battle tanks, british army, british commanders, challenger 2, challengers, close support, coalition government, defence ministry spokesman, explosive devices, helmand, hulks, infantry, invasion of afghanistan, kabul, ministry of defence, spokesman said that, sunday times, taliban