British prime minister Gordon Brown has said an extra 5,000 non-US troops may be provided for Afghanistan from inside and outside Nato to help fight a growing Taliban-led insurgency.
"We need our other Nato allies to help," Mr Brown told the BBC's Todayshow on Radio 4. "We could probably get another 5,000 forces into Afghanistan from that Nato group and outside Nato, and Britain will be part of that."
Mr Brown said he has "taken responsibility" for making the case for reinforcing the Afghan effort, and that he believes he can persuade countries that have said they wouldn't send more troops to reconsider their position. British delegations are travelling around Europe for that purpose, he said.
The US-led mission in Afghanistan has become difficult for European leaders amid concerns the Afghan leadership may not be able to extend its authority nationwide and as mounting death tolls erode public support.
Britain, which has the second largest contingent behind the US with about 9,000 troops, has so far pledged the biggest force among European countries.
President Barack Obama is expected to take a decision on whether to send more US troops this month. The U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen Stanley McChrystal, has asked to increase the US force of 68,000 by as many as 40,000 personnel next year.
Bloomberg