Brown pledges more help for Afghan army

By Katherine Baldwin

KABUL (Reuters) - Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Thursday Britain would put more resources into training the Afghan army after a surge in Taliban violence this year and pledged an extra $120 million (64.4 million pounds) in development aid.

More than 70,000 foreign troops, including British soldiers, are engaged in a bitter struggle to put down a Taliban insurgency that is now entrenched in the south and east and beginning to encroach on formerly safe areas close to the capital, Kabul.

"In the future we will put more resources into the training and mentoring of the Afghan army," Brown told a news conference in Kabul alongside Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Military leaders say that while international troops can help suppress the insurgency, the long-term key to security is strengthening the Afghan security forces.

"There are now 60,000 in the Afghan army. I believe the figures will go up from 60,000 to 80,000 and then 120,000," Brown said. "I believe that in time the figure for the Afghan army, given the size of this country, may need to be even higher than 120,000."

Brown also pledged an additional $120 million for a internationally administered trust fund that channels aid to the Afghan government. The money would be used to pay teachers' salaries and fund development work, especially healthcare.

BETTER COOPERATION

Brown's visit comes at a time of heightened tension between Afghanistan and Pakistan, with Afghan leaders accusing their neighbour of allowing the Taliban sanctuaries to launch cross-border attacks, a charge Islamabad denies.