Wire: UK's Brown Seeks Fewer UK Troops in Afghanistan

Off the Wire:

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22, 2009 -- Newswire services this morning reported that British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Tuesday he was focused on cutting back on the number of the country's troops in Afghanistan, despite a report from the top U.S. commander calling for an increase in the number of soldiers.

Brown insisted he was hoping to withdraw some British soldiers as soon as Afghanistan's local forces become able to carry out their own security duties, according to a report by The Associated Press.

His comments follow the reported assessment of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the senior American commander in Afghanistan. McChrystal, who is also the NATO commander in Afghanistan, has concluded that more, not fewer, international troops were required.

Yesterday, newswire services reported that Britain is making plans to send up to 1,000 extra troops to Afghanistan to meet the call for reinforcements made by the U.S. commander in Kabul.

Gen. McChrystal says that without more troops, the U.S. and allies could lose the war. By the end of the year, the U.S. troops will have a record 68,000 troops in Afghanistan, working alongside 38,000 NATO-led forces.

See links below for details.

(Report from newswire sources.)

Source: UK's Brown seeks fewer UK troops in Afghanistan

Related: Wire: Britain Draws Up Plan to Send 1,000 More Troops to Afghanistan