Britons were probably not aware of the daunting problems ahead when the UK government sent additional troops to Afghanistan this year, the British Ministry of Defense conceded on Wednesday.
"The difficulty was perhaps not communicated properly," a senior defense official told journalists.
At the time, the British government gave the impression that the 3,000 troops would mainly help Afghan authorities to extend their control and support development work.
John Reid, then UK defense secretary, went so far as to say he hoped the British forces would leave "without firing a single shot."
Instead, they have become embroiled in a revived conflict with Taliban-led insurgents. More than 1,600 people -- mostly militants and mainly in the south -- have died in the past four months, according a tally of reports compiled by the Associated Press. The bulk of British forces are based in Helmand Province, in the south, which is regarded as an insurgent stronghold.
Nevertheless, British officials insist development is still the goal, with troops providing a "security environment."
"The aim is to establish a zone in which government and reconstruction can take place," the official continued. "This is still pretty much early days for the Brits down in Helmand."
A total of 21 British troops have died in Afghanistan since the start of operations in November 2001. Of these, 14 are classified as killed in action.
Speaking at a media briefing in London, other senior officials played down any hopes for rapid progress in the war-torn country.
"Development is going to take years and years and years," an official from the Department for International Development (DFID) warned.
On the military front, officials maintain that the "hard core" of Taliban resistance is relatively small, though it is linked to "a complex tribal-criminal web."
"The problem is as much criminal as ideological -- there are hired guns," the defense official said.
According to the ministry, "hundreds and hundreds" of guerrillas have been killed over the summer, with the result that more foreign fighters are beginning to appear.
Some are believed to be Chechens, though officials declined to give any indication of their numbers, or how they have been identified.
"It perhaps means they are running out of local people," a Foreign Office official added.
Officials acknowledge that Afghanistan's long border with Pakistan is difficult to police, though some of the foreign fighters are thought to have entered the country by other routes.
"Pakistan is doing a great deal to support the mission," the UK Foreign Office official said. "Is there more that Pakistan could be doing? Undoubtedly there is. There is always more that people could be doing."
He added that there was a lot of Taliban activity in the Quetta area of Pakistan and "it would be extremely good if Pakistan could disrupt that."
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