UK troops setting up Afghan base
The first troops in an enlarged UK deployment to Afghanistan have begun setting up base. Several hundred Royal Engineers are building the camp in Lashkar Gar, the capital of southern Helmand province, with protection from 150 Royal Marines. Around 850 troops are due in place this month, preparing for a deployment of more than 5,000 within six months. They aim to restore peace and tackle the drugs trade in an area of major Taleban activity and opium production. Full Story