UK's Brown stands firm on Afghanistan

By JENNIFER QUINN Associated Press Writer

LONDON (AP) - Prime Minister Gordon Brown will defend his government's commitment to Afghanistan in a major speech Friday, saying the war is essential to Britain's country's security, according to excerpts released in advance by his office.

The speech comes after the deaths of seven British soldiers in the past week, including five who were shot by an Afghan police officer they were training. Despite increasing doubt over the country's involvement in the war in Afghanistan, Brown links military action there to safety on Britain's streets.

"We will not be deterred, dissuaded or diverted from taking whatever measures are necessary to protect our security," Brown is to say, according to the excerpts.

"When the main terrorist threat facing Britain emanates from Afghanistan and Pakistan; and when, although the sustained pressure in Pakistan, combined with military action in Afghanistan, is having a suppressive effect on al-Qaida, we know that they continue to train and plot attacks on Britain from the region - we cannot, must not and will not walk away."

Britain currently has about 9,000 troops in the country, the majority in the restive southern Helmand province. The force is the second-largest foreign one in the country after the United States, and Brown recently announced an increase of about 500 soldiers.

Since the start of hostilities in October 2001, 230 British soldiers have died in Afghanistan - more than 90 of them this year alone - and public support for the conflict is falling.

International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander told the BBC that Brown would stress "we are there for reasons of Britain's national security."

"This is a campaign of necessity and not of choice," he said.

In the speech, Brown is to pay tribute to the military, comparing its efforts to those of soldiers in other wars.

"Just as in the past we learned of the bravery and sacrifice of British soldiers in the First and Second World Wars; in their fight to protect freedom both in our nation and the world; so our children will learn of the heroism of today's men and women fighting in Afghanistan - protecting our nation and the rest of the world from the threat of global terrorism," an excerpt says.

Brown repeated his calls for an inclusive Afghan government, saying recently re-elected President Hamid Karzai's international support depends on what he achieves in key areas.

"He needs a contract with the Afghan people; a contract against which Afghans, as well as the international community, can judge his success," Brown is to say. "International support depends on the scale of his ambition and the degree of his achievement in five key areas: security, governance, reconciliation, economic development, and engagement with Afghanistan's neighbors."