Britain said Wednesday it would deploy six Royal Air Force Harrier jets to Afghanistan, the first time it has sent combat planes to the country following the fall of the Taliban regime.The Harrier GR7 aircraft will be under US-led coalition control and based at Kandahar, southern Afghanistan, for an initial period of nine months, the defence ministry said in a statement.
"Deployment of these aircraft confirms our commitment to the NATO mission in Afghanistan, our support for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and our determination to help ensure the success of the international community's support for the Afghan electoral process," Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon said.
The Harriers will provide air support and reconnaissance to both the US operation, which is hunting remaining Taliban militants, and ISAF, an international peacekeeping force, ahead of presidential elections scheduled for October 9, the statement said.
A first group of around 30 Royal Engineers and other personnel will leave for Kandahar on Thursday, and the planes are expected to be operational by the end of September, it added.
Britain, which backed the US-led military campaign to unseat the Taliban regime in late 2001, currently has about 550 military personnel in Afghanistan, mainly soldiers serving as part of ISAF.
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