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Brown hopeful over Afghan boost Brown hopeful over Afghan boost
(20 minutes later)
Gordon Brown has said he is hopeful he will be able to persuade countries both in and outside Nato to send more military personnel to Afghanistan.Gordon Brown has said he is hopeful he will be able to persuade countries both in and outside Nato to send more military personnel to Afghanistan.
The prime minister said he had "taken responsibility" for making the case for reinforcing the Afghan effort and believed "burden sharing will happen".The prime minister said he had "taken responsibility" for making the case for reinforcing the Afghan effort and believed "burden sharing will happen".
He told the BBC the UK strategy was "in line" with that of the US, which is considering how many troops to send. He told the BBC that UK strategy was "in line" with that of the US, which is considering how many troops to send.
And he rejected talks with the Taliban, saying this could not be a "Plan B".And he rejected talks with the Taliban, saying this could not be a "Plan B".
'Right strategy''Right strategy'
The focus of the mission, he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme, was to strengthen Afghan institutions so they were able to take control of their own affairs and "resist the threat of extreme terrorism".The focus of the mission, he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme, was to strengthen Afghan institutions so they were able to take control of their own affairs and "resist the threat of extreme terrorism".
Our strategy is now in the right place Gordon Brown FROM THE TODAY PROGRAMME class="" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/default.stm">More from Today programme
This would eventually enable British forces to come home knowing that it was a "job well done", the prime minister added.This would eventually enable British forces to come home knowing that it was a "job well done", the prime minister added.
"Our strategy is now in the right place," he said. "Our strategy is now in the right place," he said, adding that there were also "periods" during a war when strategy was questioned.
"We are having some success. There is a lot more that we have to do." He added: "We are having some success. There is a lot more that we have to do."
Britain has 9,000 troops in Afghanistan and the UK is willing to send another 500, if others provide their "fair share". The UK has 9,000 troops in Afghanistan and is willing to send another 500. But this is conditional on other countries in the alliance - excluding the US - as well as other allies providing a further 5,000 troops.
The UK wants countries in the alliance - excluding the US - and other allies to send a further 5,000 troops.
The prime minister said he was "sending people" across Europe and further afield to make the case for more troops, with Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth lobbying the existing 43 nations in the coalition.The prime minister said he was "sending people" across Europe and further afield to make the case for more troops, with Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth lobbying the existing 43 nations in the coalition.
US President Barack Obama is yet to decide whether to bolster his 70,000-strong force by up to 40,000. "I believe I can persuade countries who said only a few weeks ago they would send no more troops to Afghanistan that if we are training the Afghan forces that if there is a way forward that allows their troops to come home over time that it is right for them to contribute troops as well and so burden sharing will happen."
US President Barack Obama has yet to decide whether to bolster his 70,000-strong force by up to 40,000.
His top military commander in Afghanistan, Gen Stanley McChrystal, is said to have requested that figure, although Defence Secretary Robert Gates is said to favour 30,000.His top military commander in Afghanistan, Gen Stanley McChrystal, is said to have requested that figure, although Defence Secretary Robert Gates is said to favour 30,000.
Mr Brown said he believed that Mr Obama's views were very much "in line" with the proposals put forward by the general.Mr Brown said he believed that Mr Obama's views were very much "in line" with the proposals put forward by the general.
However, Karl Eikenberry, the US ambassador in Kabul, has voiced concerns - shared by many of Mr Obama's advisers - about a surge in numbers in a bid to defeat the Taliban.However, Karl Eikenberry, the US ambassador in Kabul, has voiced concerns - shared by many of Mr Obama's advisers - about a surge in numbers in a bid to defeat the Taliban.
'No firm commitments' 'Last chance'
He has complained of corruption in the war-torn state and said sending substantially more soldiers was "not a good idea".He has complained of corruption in the war-torn state and said sending substantially more soldiers was "not a good idea".
About 71,000 personnel make up the International Security Assistance Force, of which half are American. Mr Brown said he believed that Mr Karzai was "willing" to take steps to clean up his government but he needed international help to build institutions and give Afghans an economic stake in the country's future.
FROM THE TODAY PROGRAMME class="" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/default.stm">More from Today programme However, Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg said the UK and US had one "last chance" to show they had a plan for success in Afghanistan.
Writing in The Times, Mr Clegg said that unless they could come up with a credible strategy, he "would struggle to to look British voters in the eye and say that we should carry on with the war".
The UK's is the second largest contributor to the 71,000 strong International Security Assistance Force, of which half are American.
The US has another 36,000 military personnel in Afghanistan, operating as part of a separate mission against global terrorism.The US has another 36,000 military personnel in Afghanistan, operating as part of a separate mission against global terrorism.
The UK's presence is the second-largest of any nation. Mr Brown was the first international leader to commit additional troops and now wants to see others follow suit. Nato secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen has urged other members as well as the UK to "step up to the plate and provide more resources".
Anders Fogh Rasmussen has praised Gordon Brown's pledge Much of the work being done by troops involves training the Afghan army but the killing of five British soldiers earlier this month by an Afghan policeman has raised serious questions about the risks involved.
But BBC political correspondent Ross Hawkins said: "They are likely to want to wait for a decision from Washington before making firm commitments." Mr Brown has said this task is vital to demonstrating that foreign troops are not "an occupying army" and to distinguish the current mission from "previous interventions" by foreign powers in Afghanistan.
After meeting Mr Brown at Downing Street on Thursday, Nato secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen welcomed Britain's pledge of 500 extra personnel and encouraged all allies to "step up to the plate and provide more resources".
He said he shared Mr Eikenberry's concerns but added the allies should commit to more training for Afghan forces.
"We are in Afghanistan for the sake of our own security and therefore we should stay committed and stay for as long as it takes to finish the job," Mr Fogh Rasmussen added.
He was speaking hours before a blast rocked one of the main Nato bases in Kabul, injuring soldiers and civilians.
Mr Obama, meanwhile, has stressed the need for his commanders to work on an exit strategy to make clear US support "is not open-ended".
Much of the work being done by troops involves training the Afghan National Army, which numbers more than 90,000 and will increase to 134,000 by next October.