UK should hold troop levels in Afghanistan - general

By Matt Falloon

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain should maintain its current troops levels in Afghanistan and may need to deploy more soldiers for up to 18 months until the Afghan army can take on greater responsibility, the head of the army said on Friday.

Armed forces chiefs also called for more equipment, particularly helicopters, to protect soldiers in the campaign against the Taliban.

Britain has increased its troop levels to about 9,000 soldiers this year in Afghanistan to improve security before a presidential election on August 20. There are plans to cut that level back to 8,300 once the election is over.

"It will be the right thing in the short term for us to stay at 9,000 -- down to 8,300 would be wrong militarily, I am quite clear about that, and as a member of the Chiefs of Staff Committee I couldn't sign up to that now," General Richard Dannatt told BBC radio in Afghanistan.

The Ministry of Defence said a soldier was killed in an explosion in the southern Helmand province on Thursday -- the 185th British soldier to die since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 and the 16th casualty this month.

The deaths of eight soldiers in one day last week took Britain's total losses in the campaign against the Taliban forces above the toll of 179 in Iraq.

That toll shocked the public and raised questions over whether Britain had enough soldiers on the ground and the right equipment for the job -- and even if British troops should be there at all.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown says the presence in Afghanistan is vital to prevent militants linked to the Taliban and al Qaeda from exporting terrorism to the streets of Britain.