Army – Three-year missions
WORKERS, MAR 2006 ISSUE
The government is starting the deployment of 3,300 British troops on three-year missions to Afghanistan. There are 893 already in the country, and the government intends to increase the British forces there to 5,700 troops, at a cost of £1 billion.
NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan currently comprises 9,200 troops. NATO governments intend to increase the force to 15,000. Another 9,000 troops from non-NATO members are also in Afghanistan.
There are 8,891 British troops currently in southern Iraq.
Other operational British troops number 598 in Bosnia, 194 in Kosovo, and 317 on UN missions in Ethiopia, Georgia, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
"Non-operational" British forces number 22,000 in Germany, 11,000 in northern Ireland, 2,800 in Cyprus, 1,177 in the Falklands, 558 on Gibraltar, 39 on Diego Garcia and 40 on Ascension Island.