BRITISH ROYAL MARINES AT BAGRAM BASE AS FORCE BEGINS TO ASSEMBLE IN AFGHANISTAN, 2002-03-26 (photo)

British Brigidier Roger Lane (seated), commander of the 3 Commando Brigade of the British Royal Marines, meets with Royal Marines outside a tent on Bagram military base March 26, 2002. Chief of Staff Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Ellis (standing) take part in the military briefing as plans are underway to deploy some 1,700 Royal Marines. These forces will join U.S. troops, on surveillance and reconnaissance missions in eastern Afghanistan in search of remnants of the Taliban and al Qaeda. Lane said it was Britain's biggest overseas combat deployment since the 1991 Gulf War and the troops should be ready for battle by mid-April. REUTERS/Jim Hollander JWH