UK soldiers to boost Afghan surge

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Some members of 12 Mechanised Brigade - who were trained for deployment to Iraq but were later stood down - have been "earmarked for Afghanistan", General Sir Richard Dannatt, head of the Army, has said.

He told The Times there were no plans to send the whole brigade of around 4,000 troops - which would take the British presence to more than 12,000 - but said the figure could rise to "somewhere in between" the current troop strength of 8,300 and 12,000, subject to political approval.

He added that sending another 4,000 would create "a risk of replicating the pressures on the Army that we are trying to avoid".

US President Barack Obama is to lay out his revamped strategy for Afghanistan and is expected to announce plans to dispatch thousands more military and civilian trainers on top of the 17,000 fresh combat troops he has already ordered.

Sir Richard told The Times: "Improving security in Afghanistan will be dictated by having more boots on the ground. I don't mind whether the boots will be American, British or Afghan."

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said sending additional troops to Afghanistan was one of several options being considered.

"No decision has been made and no time line has been given," he said.