UK says Afghan reinforcements should suffice

LONDON, July 11 (Reuters) Britain's decision to send 900 more troops to Afghanistan means its forces will be adequate for the foreseeable future and they will be there for the long-haul, Defence Secretary Des Browne said today.

Browne was speaking after yesterday's announcement of the extra deployment to support British troops spearheading a NATO peace mission in southern Afghanistan.

''I'm satisfied we've now made a decision that will give us the full strength and the configuration that we will need for the future in Afghanistan,'' Browne told a parliamentary committee, saying he did not anticipate further reinforcements.

The fresh deployment, to be dispatched between now and October, comes after four weeks of heavy battles with Taliban fighters that have claimed the lives of six British troops.

Browne said: ''In Afghanistan, I fear that the commitment will be significantly long term.'' The extra deployment will bring British troop numbers in southern Afghanistan to 4,500 by October. A thousand more are based at NATO headquarters in Kabul.

Commanders had asked for the additional manpower after moving against guerrillas into remote mountain regions of northern Helmand province.

''We have got ourselves into the position where we are further ahead and more geographically spread than we had planned to be,'' Browne said.

British troops are spearheading a major expansion of NATO peacekeepers into volatile areas in the south of the country, areas which have seen some of the worst fighting since US-backed forces toppled the Taliban in 2001.

''The dangers involved in this are significant, the levels of risk our troops take on are significant,'' he said.

Browne said British troops were not being spread too thinly given operations in Iraq and other countries: ''I don't accept that we are overstretched. There's a degree of stretch but we are able to carry out what we have to do.'' He said he remained in discussions with NATO allies to encourage them to send more soldiers to Afghanistan.

REUTERS PKS RS1926