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| Case for troop rise, says Cameron | Case for troop rise, says Cameron |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| There is a "very strong case" for sending more UK soldiers to Afghanistan, Conservative leader David Cameron has told the BBC. | There is a "very strong case" for sending more UK soldiers to Afghanistan, Conservative leader David Cameron has told the BBC. |
| Mr Cameron stopped short of committing himself to increasing the UK's 9,000-strong presence if he won office. | Mr Cameron stopped short of committing himself to increasing the UK's 9,000-strong presence if he won office. |
| But he said if military chiefs made a request for extra manpower, there would be good reasons to make that happen. | But he said if military chiefs made a request for extra manpower, there would be good reasons to make that happen. |
| He told Radio 4's Westminster Hour that an increase in troop numbers would "Afghan-ise" the country quicker. | He told Radio 4's Westminster Hour that an increase in troop numbers would "Afghan-ise" the country quicker. |
| Think like businessmen | Think like businessmen |
| Mr Cameron said he had not seen the "shopping list" drawn up by the head of the Army, General Sir Richard Dannatt. | |
| But he added: " If what the military are asking for is more troops in Afghanistan to speed up the training of the Afghan national army, it does seem to me there's a very strong case for saying yes to that. | But he added: " If what the military are asking for is more troops in Afghanistan to speed up the training of the Afghan national army, it does seem to me there's a very strong case for saying yes to that. |
| "Because the faster we can build up the Afghan national army and the police, the faster we'll be able to 'Afghan-ise' the problem and the situation and the more rapidly we'll actually be able to end that mission and bring our troops back home." | "Because the faster we can build up the Afghan national army and the police, the faster we'll be able to 'Afghan-ise' the problem and the situation and the more rapidly we'll actually be able to end that mission and bring our troops back home." |
| Mr Cameron also told the programme that he expected his shadow cabinet to think like businessmen in order to deliver spending cuts while improving frontline services. | Mr Cameron also told the programme that he expected his shadow cabinet to think like businessmen in order to deliver spending cuts while improving frontline services. |
| He said he would not rule out tax increases to cut national debt, warning that there would "inevitably" be painful decisions to make. | He said he would not rule out tax increases to cut national debt, warning that there would "inevitably" be painful decisions to make. |
| But he said if the Tories gained power, his government's "abiding mission" would not just be to balance the books, but to "change the country for the better". | But he said if the Tories gained power, his government's "abiding mission" would not just be to balance the books, but to "change the country for the better". |