The Secretary of State announced the deployment of additional Royal Engineers on 10 July 2006 to accelerate the reconstruction effort in southern Afghanistan. It is worth noting, though, that the UK task force as a whole is deployed to provide security so that reconstruction and development may take place.
The following tables list quick impact projects being undertaken in Helmand Province, and the progress that has been made to date. I have stated the agency responsible for the implementation of each project, and identified whether the responsible agency reports to the MOD. It is important to note, however, that in all instances the military work closely with other Government Departments and non-governmental organisations to agree key priorities with the Afghan authorities. In many instances, project delivery will require the involvement of a number of agencies. This is in line with our comprehensive approach.
In addition to the projects in the following table, there are a number of long-term development initiatives being undertaken throughout Afghanistan, to which the Department for International Development (DFID) contributes. DFID funds around $60 million over three years (2006-09) in support of their Helmand Agriculture and Rural Development Programme.
Responsible agency Agency responsible to MOD Location Title Total cost ($) Status Royal Engineers Yes Lashkar Gah Permanent Vehicle Check Point (PVCP) 21,387 Complete Royal Engineers Yes Gereshk Afghan National Police (ANP) Infrastructure in Gereshk 240,000 Complete Royal Engineers Yes Lashkar Gah Afghan National Army (ANA) Platoon House 40,387 Complete Royal Engineers Yes Lashkar Gah ANP Outposts 143,964 Complete Royal Engineers Yes Lashkar Gah 4 x PVCPs 155,000 Complete Royal Engineers Yes Lashkar Gah 4 x Enhanced PVCPs 110,000 Complete Royal Engineers Yes Helmand Construction resources for 12 modular Military Construction Force built ANP temporary police stations/PVCPs 600,000 Complete Royal Engineers Yes Lashkar Gah New Joint Provincial Coordination Centre 161,147 Complete Governor’s Office No Lashkar Gah 2 x PVCPs 16,800 Complete Royal Engineers Yes Lashkar Gah Ablutions at US Protection and Investigations (USPI) compound for Afghan National Auxiliary Police (ANAP) training 5,265 Complete Royal Engineers Yes Tombstone Camp Shorabak (ANA) Mosque 100,000 Planned Royal Engineers Yes Lashkar Gah Provision of security infrastructure for Governor’s office and Bost Hotel 84,227 In progress Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team (OMLT) Yes Kajaki Water/Fuel storage for the ANA 1,200 In progress Royal Engineers Yes Gereshk Upgrade to ANA compound in Gereshk 15,000 Complete Operations Company Yes Laskhar Gah Upgrade to Muktar Gate 6,475 In progress 42 Commando Yes Nowzad Rubble Clearance 0 In progress Royal Military Police (RMP) Yes Lashkar Gah Bonus Scheme for ANP top-performers at PVCPs 3,000 In progress Information Exploitation Group Yes Garmsir Garmsir PVCP repairs 700 In progress Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) No Lashkar Gah Afghan Meeting facility 651 Complete Total 1,705,203
Responsible agency Agency responsible to MOD Location Title Total cost ($) Status Helping Afghan Farmers Organisation (HAFO) No Gereshk Sayed Tajdar Shrine: wall and gate construction 21,224 Complete HAFO No Gereshk Sayed Tajdar Shrine: road and footpath construction 33,076 Complete HAFO No Lashkar Gah Improvement of Friday market and Gabion wall 140,623 Complete HAFO No Cha-i-Anjeer Improvement of Friday market 24,950 Complete HAFO No Lashkar Gah Gabion Extension 34,108 Complete Royal Engineers Yes Lashkar Gah Safean Playground 50,000 In progress PRT No Lashkar Gah Support to Office of Governor to respond to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) needs 60,000 Complete Information Operations (IO) Yes Lashkar Gah improvements to Media Centre 8,336 Complete Civil-Military Co-operation (CIMIC) Yes Lashkar Gah/Gereshk Installation of solar-powered lighting 280,960 In progress IO Yes Lashkar Gah Support to Radio Stations 150,000 In progress HAFO No Lashkar Gah Weir on Helmand River 161,848 Complete HAFO No Lashkar Gah Extension of Gabion walls on Helmand River 168,045 Complete HAFO No Lashkar Gah Silt Removal from Helmand River 259,479 Complete Royal Engineers Yes Lashkar Gah Bost Hospital Generator and Mortuary 130,400 Complete Royal Engineers Yes Lashkar Gah Security wall for Women’s Centre 30,000 Complete Royal Engineers Yes Lashkar Gah Building work for Kartelegan and Toortank day care centres 86,052 Complete CIMIC Yes Lashkar Gah Women’s Centre sewing ISAF badges to UK mil uniforms 750 Complete Governor’s Office No Nahrisiraj Work to clear and strengthen stretch of Nahrisiraj canal 12,000 Complete Royal Engineers Yes Lashkar Gah Construction of 8 new classrooms at Zacor School 80,008 In progress Royal Engineers Yes Lashkar Gah Connection of a new school to electricity grid 1,809 Complete Royal Engineers Yes Lashkar Gah Construction of a 20 room midwifery hostel 221,762 In progress Royal Engineers Yes Lashkar Gah Construction of a perimeter wall for Cha I Anjeer school 25,000 Complete Royal Engineers Yes Lashkar Gah Essential repairs to Bolan Bridge 231,728 In progress CIMIC Yes Lashkar Gah Welfare Association for Development of Afghanistan (WADAN) Playground 1,090 Complete Royal Engineers Yes Lashkar Gah Repairs to 3 schools 185,062 In progress Royal Engineers Yes Lashkar Gah Improvements to Lashkar Gah library 13,925 Complete CIMIC Yes Lashkar Gah Sports equipment for 8 schools 0 Planned CIMIC Yes Lashkar Gah School sports equipment 30,000 Planned Royal Engineers Yes Lashkar Gah Kartelegan Playground 52,237 Complete CIMIC Yes Lashkar Gah Welfare Centre Kitchen 15,819 In progress HAFO No Lashkar Gah Women’s Park 840,813 In progress Royal Engineers Yes Lashkar Gah New School in Qala-e-Khana 0 Complete Royal Engineers Yes Lashkar Gah Refurbishment of Nawa School 72,713 In progress Ministry of Public Health No Lashkar Gah Rapid Assessment of Mukhtar IDP camp 973 Complete Royal Engineers Yes Musa Qaleh Repairs to 3 mosques 350,000 Planned Royal Engineers Yes Gereshk Playground and Football pitch 39,098 In progress Royal Engineers Yes Gereshk Seminar Awal School repairs 0 Planned Royal Engineers Yes Gereshk Technical School repairs 0 Planned Royal Engineers Yes Gereshk Abolfathi Botsi Boys School Repairs 0 Planned CIMIC Yes Lashkar Gah Ministry of Agriculture Tree 6,750 In progress Royal Engineers Yes Garmsir Reconstruction using local labour—road, wells, ditches 4,000 In progress Royal Engineers Yes Garmsir Culvert bridge 500 In progress Royal Engineers Yes Garmsir Bore Hole and Hand Pump 1,750 In Progress Royal Engineers Yes Nahr-e-Saraj Lashkar Gah-Gereshk canal road culvert and gravel track repairs 28,272 In progress Royal Engineers Yes Lashkar Gah 3 km asphalt road and solid drainage Kartelegan-601 429,950 In progress CIMIC Yes Garmsir CHC Generator Repair 505 In progress CIMIC Yes Lashkar Gah/Gereshk Midwifery Kits 5,416 In progress Stabilisation Advisor (STABAD) No Lashkar Gah Carpet weaving pilot project 82,733 In Progress CIMIC Yes Lashkar Gah Furniture for Zacor High School 20,000 Complete PRT No Helmand Support to Director of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (DRRD) for Musa Qaleh IDPs 800 Complete CIMIC Yes Gereshk Refuse Collection Points and new trucks 34,000 In progress CIMIC Yes Lashkar Gah Upgrade to Bost Hospital Grounds 150,860 In progress CIMIC Yes Gereshk Furniture for Gereshk Women’s Group 1,920 Complete HAFO No Lashkar Gah Lashkar Gah Bus Station 854,327 In progress UK Task Force (UKTF) Yes Garmsir Wells and Water Tower 10,800 In progress Royal Engineers Yes Lashkar Gah Covered waiting area at Bost Hospital 7,000 Complete Royal Engineers Yes Lashkar Gah Reconstruct Dept of Land Registry 98,142 In progress CIMIC Yes Helmand Procure 3 GPS units 500 In progress PRT No Helmand Provide Plant Machinery to DRRD 2,268,000 In progress Police Mentors No Lashkar Gah Additional Support to the Traffic Division 40,000 In progress Total 7,860,113
Responsible agency Agency responsible to MOD Location Title Total cost ($) Status BBC World Service (BBCWS) No Lashkar Gah/Gereshk Radio Transmitter 94,231 Complete RMP Yes Helmand ID card making facility (ANP) 30,295 Complete PRT No Lashkar Gah Generators for the Governor’s Office and compound 220,186 Complete Justice Advisor No Lashkar Gah Wall for the Office of the Prosecutor 10,000 Planned Governance Advisor No Lashkar Gah Refurbish of Offices for Provincial Government Departments 32,000 In progress IO Yes Lashkar Gah Rehabilitate Printing Press 224,098 In progress Governor’s Office No Musa Qaleh Set up costs for Musa Qaleh District Administration 10,000 Complete RMP Yes Lashkar Gah Equipment for 8 PVCPs 32,584 In progress PRT No Lashkar Gah Additional support to the Dept of Hajj 24,167 In progress Police Mentors No Lashkar Gah Support to ANP Traffic Division 32,631 In progress Total 710,192
Responsible agency Agency responsible to MOD Location Title Total cost ($) Status Royal Engineers Yes Lashkar Gah Regrading of Bost Airfield 555,000 In progress MNCC No Lashkar Gah Windmill Wells 10,640 In progress Royal Engineers Yes Lashkar Gah Upgrade to Lashkar Gah prison 45,385 Complete British Embassy Drugs Team (BEDT) No Lashkar Gah Comms equipment for the Counter-Narcotics Police Authority (CNPA) 8,900 Complete BEDT No Helmand PA Systems for 12 District Centres 3,000 Complete BEDT No Helmand CN Tractor Repairs 12,000 Complete BEDT No Helmand CN Tractor Ploughs 30,000 Complete BEDT No Lashkar Gah Tractors and equipment for the Governor 884,718 In progress Royal Engineers Yes Lashkar Gah Repair to bomb-damage at the Directorate of Counter-Narcotics 21,079 Complete BEDT No Lashkar Gah Upgrade to Counter Narcotics Provincial Administration 88,925 In progress BEDT No Lashkar Gah Incinerator for Bost hospital 30,000 In progress BEDT No Lashkar Gah Uniforms for the Prison Staff 5,000 Complete BEDT No Lashkar Gah Computer for Chief of Police 1,761 Complete BEDT No Lashkar Gah Support to the Counter Narcotics Provincial Administration 340,000 In progress Total 2,031,408
(2) when he plans to update the list of units deployed to Afghanistan on his Department’s website.
[holding answer 2 May 2007]: Following the recent roulement of forces in Afghanistan, an up to date list of military units deployed to Afghanistan is now available on the MOD website.
http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/FactSheets/Operations Factsheets/OperationsInAfghanistanBritishForces.htm
[holding answer 8 May 2007]: The numbers of UK military and civilian personnel killed or injured in Afghanistan are published on the Ministry of Defence website:
http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/FactSheets/Operations Factsheets
and are in the following tables. Figures cover military personnel and UK civilians employed, or contracted, by the MOD.
Number 2001 0 2002 3 2003 0 2004 1 2005 1 2006 39
Number January 2 February 2 March 4 April 1
Figures for Afghan armed forces fatalities are not held by the UK and are a matter for the Afghan National Government. There are no reliable means of ascertaining the numbers of Afghan civilians killed during the period since the conflict began. The UK makes every effort to minimise the impact of military action on the Afghan population.