New helmand Chief hails ''significant'' progress

LONDON, Nov 23 (KUNA) -- The new commander of British forces in the Afghan province of Helmand said Monday that there had been "significant" progress in reducing the influence of the Taliban in the area.
Brigadier James Cowan, who took over command in Helmand last month, said in an interview here the increase in the size of the British force from 7,000 to 9,000, combined with the deployment of 12,000 US troops to the province, had allowed the international military force to bring security to larger areas and permit local people to return to normal life. All of the territory seized in the recent Operation Panther's Claw was still held by the coalition forces and Musa Qala - formerly the most dangerous town in the world's most dangerous country - was now home to a thriving market, he said. Brig Cowan said the strategy being followed in Helmand was "exactly the right one" and said the counter-insurgency approach included efforts to persuade less-militant followers of the Taliban to give up their fight and join the mainstream. He told the BBC Radio: "The strategy we have here is exactly the right one. In the course of the last year we have gone from only 7,000 British troops across the force to 9,000. We have added in the further 12,000 American soldiers and with 21,000 soldiers - three times what we had before - we are beginning to bring security to this part of Afghanistan. "There really are some significant changes which I don't think are well understood back in Britain. "This month alone, we have distributed wheat seed to 24,000 farmers. Wheat is the alternative crop to poppy, which is the root cause of much of the corruption and violence here in Afghanistan. "The Ministry of Finance reports revenues up in Helmand by 60% in the first seven months of the year, compared to last. "Here in Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital, we have a thriving city with commerce developing", he added. "Musa Qala - the most dangerous town in Afghanistan, arguably the most dangerous country in the world - now has a thriving bazaar and you can walk through it without any chance of the Taliban interfering. That's quite an achievement." Asked how much of the territory taken in Operation Panther's Claw ahead of the August presidential elections was still held by the coalition, Brig Cowan replied: "All of it. This is a really encouraging area .(end) he.bz.
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