UK confirms 500 more troops heading to Afghanistan
Mon Nov 30 23:34:27 EST 2009
Mon Nov 30 12:34:27 UTC 2009
LONDON, Nov 30 AP - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's office says he will confirm that 500 extra UK troops are heading to Afghanistan.
Brown is expected to tell lawmakers on Monday that the reinforcements will arrive shortly, increasing Britain's force in Afghanistan to about 9,500 troops.
Britain had said the increase was dependent on Afghan President Hamid Karzai promising action to tackle corruption, and on other allies offering more troops.
Brown claims that NATO nations - not including the United States - are prepared to offer about 5,000 more troops. President Barack Obama will announce a major increase in the number of US forces in a national address on Tuesday.
The US already has a record 71,000 US troops in Afghanistan.
