Foreign troops could begin arriving in the Afghan capital next week but the bulk of the multinational security force could take up to four weeks to deploy, a senior military source said today.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Britain planned to send in a team of up to 200 military personnel including air traffic controllers later this week to prepare for the deployment.
That team would be sited either at Bagram air base, 40 kilometres north of Kabul, or preferably at the city's airport to establish a bridgehead for troops arriving by air.
The source said the first troops of the UN-mandated force, initially to be led by Britain, could start arriving next week but it could take 20 to 30 days to get the bulk of the force in.
A small group of British marines is already on the ground but the precise role and size of the main force, which some estimates have said could be up to 5,000 strong, have yet to be agreed with Afghanistan's new interim government.
"I think we have a very good agreement in principle," the source told a group of reporters. "All we need to do essentially is find the time to close the loopholes and we're pretty confident we can pull that off in the timeframe before people arrive."