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Gordon Brown is ready to order up to 2,000 extra troops to Afghanistan.
He will make a statement to Parliament next week about the scale of the British deployment, as Barack Obama weighs up whether to order a “surge” of American troops into the country.
The Army is known to have asked for 2,000 more combat and support troops, though government sources indicated they may agree on a smaller number to go in the next month and more later.
The measure is being discussed at the top of Whitehall and with military commanders this weekend.
The new head of the Army, General Sir David Richards, gave a detailed appreciation of the situation in Afghanistan, where he was the allied commander for a year from 2005 to 2006, to the Prime Minister last weekend.
He made the case for extra troops to secure main centres of population in Helmand and train new Afghan army and police units.
The US military has confirmed that the allied commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, would like an extra 40,000 troops. President Obama has met foreign policy advisers, with many Democrats favouring attacks on al Qaeda in the borders with Pakistan, largely leaving Afghan forces to fight the Taliban.
David Cameron today defended his shadow defence ministers after saying they “lacked expert understanding” of Afghanistan. His comment was disclosed by former Army chief General Sir Richard Dannatt after the Tory leader asked him to become an adviser.
Mr Cameron's spokesman said shadow defence secretary Liam Fox's team had expertise but not “recent serving military experience” in Afghanistan.
Reader views (3)
Well it shouldn't be too hard to get 2000 extra troops to go: many MPs will be out of a job next year, and all those who voted/were in favour of invading should be forced to go, along with others in the Liebore Party. Problem solved.
- Ralph, London, 09/10/2009 17:13
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Why does Obama go out of his way to be seen to snub Brown (Britain), but as soon as his country has a financial mess, or Afghanistan mess, he's in like Flynn on the phone to UK looking for a bailout?
- Tom, London, 09/10/2009 16:49
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How odd. Brown accepts the advice from Barak Obama, after rejecting similar advice he had received earlier from his own military chiefs. Now that takes some understanding.
- Graham Rodhouse, Helmond, Netherlands, 09/10/2009 15:34
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