Marines prepare for Christmas peace mission
The hunt for Osama bin Laden continued in Afghanistan today, as British Royal Marines prepared to spend Christmas on a peacekeeping mission to protect the country’s new government.
Around 40 British Royal Marines, the vanguard of the UN-mandated international security assistance force, flew into Kabul last week ahead of Pashtun tribal leader Hamid Karzai taking over as prime minister.
Britain is expected to contribute up to 1,500 troops in the next few weeks while Germany has pledged 1,200.
Many Afghan residents said they welcomed the presence of the international force.
Meanwhile, US troops and their Afghan allies continued their search for Osama bin Laden in the cave-ridden Tora Bora mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan.
Mr Karzai’s 30-strong Cabinet, which held its first cabinet meeting yesterday after Saturday’s inauguration, will have to begin reconstructing the war-torn nation and providing for the millions of starving and displaced people.
Mr Karzai said this could only be done with the help of aid from the international community.
International Development Secretary Clare Short said Britain would be helping Afghanistan for the next decade.
‘‘We are going to be with Afghanistan intensively for the next 10 years,’’ Ms Short said.
She added that the humanitarian effort was holding ‘‘remarkably well’’ in the country, and rejected the findings of a report published last week which said aid was failing to get through to those who needed it.
‘‘The bulk of the country has continued to be supplied with food,’’ Ms Short said.
‘‘No one should take away from the UN what a fantastic achievement that is.’’
