My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Des Browne) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

Both the International Security Assistance Force, and coalition forces in Afghanistan, are experiencing a surge in their requirement for air support. To help meet that need, I have decided temporarily to deploy a seventh Harrier GR7a aircraft and a small number of additional personnel to Kandahar airfield. As with any operational commitment, the duration of this deployment will be kept under constant review.