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Tory pay vow for UK Afghan troops Cameron plays down UK troop cuts
(about 6 hours later)
Conservative leader David Cameron plans to double the allowance paid to soldiers returning from Afghanistan. Tory leader David Cameron has warned a cut in UK troop levels in Afghanistan would be "pretty unlikely" next year.
He told the BBC that the Tories would immediately double the £2,400 payment for a six month Afghan tour if elected. Mr Cameron told the BBC he backed government strategy of handing over areas to Afghan control but "based on success" not "artificial timelines".
He also vowed to appoint a national security adviser, set up a war cabinet, and make Ministry of Defence service personnel wear uniforms not suits. The troop surge led by US President Barack Obama was Nato's "last best chance for success", Mr Cameron said
Mr Cameron is due to meet President Karzai in Kabul on the second day of his visit to Afghanistan. If elected, his party would double the £2,400 payment to personnel returning from a six-month tour, he announced.
Casualties He also vowed to appoint a national security adviser, set up a war cabinet, and make Ministry of Defence service personnel wear uniforms instead of suits.
He will also witness the Afghan army train and meet military leaders. Withdrawal is a bad option that would let the Taliban take over [and lead to] the danger of terrorist training camps coming back David Cameron
BBC political editor, Nick Robinson, who has travelled with Mr Cameron, said: "On this visit it's becoming clear he backs Gordon Brown's new strategy and even endorses the level of resource he's committed to it. Mr Cameron is due to meet President Karzai in Kabul on the second day of his visit to Afghanistan. He will also see the Afghan army train and meet military leaders.
The faster we succeed, the faster we can come home David Cameron He told BBC political editor Nick Robinson that he backed Prime Minister Gordon Brown's view that the 30,000 extra US troops being sent to Afghanistan would allow control of certain districts to be handed over to Afghans.
"That won't stop him trying to make defence an issue at the next election." Mr Brown has said an extra 500 British troops will be sent to the country in January, taking the total number to more than 10,000, and stressed they would not be there indefinitely.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown - who last visited Afghanistan in August - has said an extra 500 British troops will be sent to the country in January, taking the total number to more than 10,000. However, Mr Cameron said: "I don't want us to raise false hopes. It's pretty unlikely you're going to see a reduction in British troop numbers next year.
He said the mission was vital to prevent terrorist attacks in the UK, but stressed that troops would not be there indefinitely. "As soon as you can hand over lead responsibility to the Afghans in a district you should do so... but do it based on success. Don't keep talking about artificial timelines."
No 10 insisted the latest deployment was contingent on the troops being properly equipped, other Nato allies pulling their weight, and the Afghan government being willing to send more troops to the region - conditions it says have been met. 'Spread too thinly'
Earlier, Mr Cameron travelled to Helmand Province, the epicentre of the battle against the Taliban, to visit British troops. Nearly 100 UK personnel have died this year. Mr Brown - who last visited Afghanistan in August - has said Britain's mission in Afghanistan is vital to prevent terrorist attacks in the UK.
After a summer dominated by debate over whether UK forces have enough equipment - in particular helicopters - the government has again insisted its latest deployment will be properly kitted out.
However, with almost 100 deaths among UK personnel this year, some MPs have called for phased withdrawal of troops, with Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg arguing for a review of strategy in Helmand.
Mr Cameron said he was concerned that British forces were "spread too thinly" - being responsible for two-thirds of the population of Helmand province, with the same number of US troops covering the remaining third.
Mr Cameron said he wanted to help the mission in whatever way he couldMr Cameron said he wanted to help the mission in whatever way he could
He said he wanted to help the mission in whatever way he could, stressing that "the faster we succeed, the faster we can come home". With the number of American personnel in the area set to double, he said he wanted British forces more concentrated in areas so they could do "proper counter-insurgency" work.
The US has agreed to send a further 30,000 troops to the region in an attempt to bring more stability and to speed up the training of the Afghan army - efforts in which British troops are playing a lead role. Mr Cameron insisted British troops could not be in Afghanistan for another eight years.
'No timetable' But he added: "Withdrawal is a bad option that would let the Taliban take over [and lead to] the danger of terrorist training camps coming back. Carrying on as we are is not an option."
Mr Cameron visited the district of Nad-e-Ali, where five British soldiers died last month after being shot by an Afghan policeman they were training. Nato's top official Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said its members will send at least 7,000 extra troops to support the US-led surge.
The tragedy led to calls from some MPs for a phased withdrawal of British troops while many more, including Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg, said the current strategy in Helmand had to be urgently reviewed. Mr Cameron said: "This is our last big chance of success and we've got to take it."
Mr Cameron told the troops at their base in Lashkar Gah that he was "not interested in cutting and running" from Afghanistan. Our correspondent said that while Mr Cameron was backing the government's strategy, it "won't stop him trying to make defence an issue at the next election".
"I am not interested in trying to set out some sort of timetable and convince people in that way. What I am interested in doing is helping you, whether in opposition or in government, to succeed in what we are doing here and then to come home. On Friday, Mr Cameron visited British troops in Helmand and said he wanted to help the mission in whatever way he could, stressing that "the faster we succeed, the faster we can come home".
"The faster we succeed, the faster we can come home." However, he stressed he was "not interested in cutting and running" from Afghanistan.
During a visit to a local bazaar, Mr Cameron said it was "a glimpse of what can be possible if we get it right".
"I think following President Obama's speech and the increase in US forces and the increase in British forces, we have a chance now. It is probably our last chance to get it right but we do have a chance.
"This is a glimpse of what it could be like if we guarantee better security, if we then train up the Afghan national army and train up the Afghan police so they can take responsibility for their security."
Nato's top official has said its members will send at least 7,000 extra troops to support the US-led surge.