That might seem like a huge sum to pay for a fleet of remote-controllable war toys, but these 4 x 1-inch copters do present a definite advantage: they can deliver full video and stills, ably maneuver in high winds and help navigate troops past "insurgent firing points" and open terrain.
Military analysts determined that more resources were needed to secure population centers, train local troops and ward off insurgent forces.
The campaign mirrors the strategy embraced by the U.S. itself in Iraq and Afghanistan, where American troops spent years rebuilding forsaken insurgent strongholds.
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Troops found bomb-making materials and detained an insurgent.
In his first statement to MPs since taking on the new role Philip Hammond said UK troops in Helmand province were having a "tangible impact" on insurgent activity.
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The NATO documents show that some of the main reasons for the increase in violence is more U.S. troops on the ground and an increase in operational Afghan forces hitting insurgent targets around the country, but sanctuary in Pakistan by insurgent forces allow them to retreat and re-attack.
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By nightfall, troops had arrested 41 people and carted off what they described as an insurgent arsenal.
The group is reportedly considering options such as a gradual pull-out of American troops and a diplomatic push to persuade Iran and Syria to curb the insurgent groups they are thought to encourage.
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But optimists note that perhaps a hundred are now seen as ready to some degree, and Iraqi troops took a leading role in a recent offensive in Tel Afar, an insurgent stronghold.
He said security in Helmand was improving, with Afghan forces now responsible for the bulk of the province - but that the environment in which UK troops operated remained "risky and dangerous including the threat of improvised explosive devices and insurgent attack".
While agreeing that there had been progress, Mr Brown said that "gains have been overshadowed by recent events" including some allies setting unilateral withdrawal dates for their troops, a deterioration in relations between the United States and Pakistan, and continuing insurgent attacks.
French military forces joined Malian troops on Friday in battling Islamist rebels in the West African nation, amid Western fears that insurgent groups with links to al Qaeda could destabilize the region and gain the ability to strike overseas.
Mr. Karzai who was first installed by the U.S. after the Taliban was ousted in late 2001 has also wrested new concessions from the U.S., most recently winning an agreement for the withdrawal of coalition special-operations troops from Wardak province, an area west of Kabul that has been a staging ground for insurgent attacks.
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