The British government yesterday committed 200 Royal Marines ground troops to take part in the US-led military campaign in Afghanistan.
In total 4,200 British troops are on stand-by to support the military action. The Royal Marines commandos, who are drawn from 40 Commando Company, have been made "immediately available" for possible deployment on the ground in Afghanistan and will remain on board the assault ship HMS Fearless in the Gulf when the military exercise "Saif Sareea" ends in Oman next week.
The rest of the company, about 400 soldiers, will return to Britain but will be held at "high readiness" to return to the region.
The British military force - codenamed Operation Veritas - will be supported by several Royal Navy ships, including the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious, the destroyer HMS Southampton, the frigate HMS Cornwall and a submarine armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles. Two RAF Hercules transport aircraft and two Nimrod MR2 maritime patrol aircraft will also be sent to the region.
On British Forces Radio yesterday, the Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, said the military conflict was a battle "for the defence of civilised values everywhere" and he warned that if the al-Qaeda terrorist network was not stopped, it could launch a chemical, biological or even a nuclear attack.
Mr Blair's warning came as British intelligence sources indicated Osama bin Laden had already acquired nuclear capability, but that his terrorist network did not yet have the capacity to launch a nuclear attack. Mr Blair said if al-Qaeda was allowed to carry on building its strength, "our world will be an insecure, unsafe place and there will be no corner of the world, particularly not a place like Britain that will be untouched by that.
"I do believe that this is a fight worth undertaking because of what is at stake in the world. Of course it is a huge responsibility that we only take in circumstances where we believe there is no other alternative. It is a huge responsibility to commit our armed forces but in my view it is justified in the circumstances where our people are at risk."
The Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Sir Michael Boyce, said the marines could be used to mount "precise surgical raids" against Taliban targets but he refused to be drawn on the possible use of British Special Forces.