§ Patrick MercerTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what type of armoured patrol vehicles are available to British troops in Afghanistan. [153053]
§ Mr. Ingram[holding answer 5 February 2004]There are currently 10 Saxon light armoured personnel carriers deployed with British Forces in Kabul.
§ Mr. SoamesTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future plans for an expanded NATO peacekeeping mission in Northern Afghanistan; and what the British involvement will be. [154757]
§ Mr. IngramThe United Kingdom strongly supports the further expansion beyond Kabul of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) under NATO, and will play its full part in helping the Alliance to make that goal a reality. In particular, and subject to the agreement of our partners in NATO and the 1SAF, we are ready to build upon the success of our Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Mazar-e-Sharif and play a leading role in expanding the ISAF in Northern Afghanistan. Final decisions on the nature of our future 1631W military commitment to the ISAF will depend on the outcome of NATO operational planning, and agreement with our partners in the ISAF.