British troops in Afghanistan put under US command as part of restructuring of NATO forces
By APFriday, May 21, 2010
British troops in Afghanistan put under US command
LONDON — About 8,000 British troops in Afghanistan have been placed under U.S. command as part of a restructuring of NATO forces in the country.
The Ministry of Defense says U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Richard Mills will be the new commander of NATO forces in Helmand province, home to most of the British troops in Afghanistan.
The change is part of a decision by NATO to split its Regional Command South, which oversees 50,000 U.S., British, Canadian and other troops, into two separate commands.
Operations in the Nimroz and Helmand provinces will come under U.S. command — Regional Command-Southwest — while forces in Kandahar, Uruzgan, Zabul and Daikundi provinces will be led by a British commander.
The new structure will take effect this summer.
