Battersea Territorial Army regiment to help train the Afghan army (From Wandsworth Guardian)

Battersea Territorial Army regiment to help train the Afghan army

3:40pm Wednesday 18th November 2009

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(0)

The Battersea-based London Regiment of the Territorial Army (TA) will go to Afghanistan next year to train the country’s army and help with bomb disposal tasks.

Defence Minister Bob Ainsworth told Battersea MP Martin Linton the regiment would start mobilising next week, in preparation for a tour of duty in Afghanistan next year.

About 130 members of the Regiment, which has its headquarters in Clapham Junction, will go to Helmand province in March.

The Regiment, which also has a company based in Balham, also served in Afghanistan in 2007.

The Regiment’s commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Brian Fahy, attended Sunday’s Remembrance service at Battersea Parish Church, where he gave an address.

In the Commons Martin Linton thanked Mr Ainsworth for dropping his plan to reduce non-operational training for the TA as a short-term economy measure.

Mr Linton said: “This would not have had much effect on the London Regiment because they are in training for Afghanistan, but I think it’s important to keep up training at all times.

“The TA in general, and the London Regiment in particular, have done their job well in Afghanistan, partly because they are more knowledgeable, more experienced and more mature than regular Army recruits, and that helps in the sensitive role the Army is playing.

“I’m sure we all have doubts about the legitimacy of the recent Afghan election and the integrity of the Afghan government, but our troops are there to defend us from possible terrorist threats on the streets of Britain, not to prop up any particular Afghan regime.

“At this time we are remembering the brave members of the London Regiment and their families who served in Afghanistan two years ago and are going out again next year and we have good reason to be thankful.”

• What do you think? Let us know by email here, phone the newsdesk on 020 8330 9555 or leave a comment below.

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(0)