Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Friday Britain was trying to persuade its military allies fighting Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan to send 5,000 more troops. Skip related content
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He said he wanted to encourage members of the NATO-led coalition to share the burden of combat and help train Afghan soldiers. Britain wants to gradually hand over control of areas of the country to Afghan forces to pave the way for an eventual withdrawal of Western forces.
"I have taken the responsibility of asking others in Europe and outside Europe if they will back this strategy of partnering the Afghan forces, mentoring the Afghan forces," Brown said.
"I am asking them to help, I think we could probably get another 5,000 forces into Afghanistan from ... NATO and outside NATO .., and Britain will be part of that," he told BBC radio.
U.S. President Barack Obama is considering whether to boost U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan and Britain has said it is prepared to send another 500 troops, but only as part of a wider increase in forces.
NATO's Afghan mission currently involves 65,000 U.S. troops and 39,000 from allied nations, including 9,000 from Britain.
They are locked in a stalemate with the Taliban, unable to stem the rising tide of suicide and roadside bomb attacks while insurgents cannot defeat Western troops in open battle.
Military chiefs see transferring responsibility for security to bigger and better-trained Afghan army and police forces as the long-term goal to enable Western troops to withdraw.
(Reporting by Tim Castle)
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