Brown wants more international troops for Afghanistan

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Friday he was trying to persuade NATO partners in Europe and other allies to commit 5,000 troops to the Afghanistan war, AFP reported.

Brown told BBC radio he was sending envoys to fellow European countries in a bid to get them to share the burden.

US President Barack Obama is considering his response to a report from General Stanley McChrystal -- the commander of international forces in Afghanistan -- which pushed for tens of thousands more US troops.

In addition, "we need our other NATO allies to help," he said.

"I'm asking them to help, I think we can probably get another 5,000 forces into Afghanistan from that NATO and outside NATO group, and we'll be part of that.

"I have taken the responsibility of asking others in Europe, and outside Europe actually, if they will back this strategy which is partnering the Afghan forces, mentoring the Afghan forces.

"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 and partnering, and if there is a way forward that allows our troops to come home over time, it's right for them to contribute troops as well, and so burden-sharing will happen."

Britain has around 9,000 troops in Afghanistan, largely in the troubled southern Helmand Province where they are battling Taliban insurgents.

Brown has made a conditional pledge of a further 500 troops.

"We are prepared to put more troops into Afghanistan but there's got to be burden-sharing amongst the alliance," Brown said.

"I am suggesting and sending people round Europe to persuade other countries that they should commit more troops. So we are in a process of persuading burden-sharing.

"We are the only country actually to have said that we will provide more troops as things stand, but I believe that others will, including countries from NATO."

Brown has endured sharp personal criticism in recent weeks over the mounting British death toll in Afghanistan.

This year has been the bloodiest for the armed forces since 1982 and the Falklands War with Argentina.