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Current mood: HAS ANYONE EVER WON A WAR IN AFGHANISTAN???
Category: HAS ANYONE EVER WON A WAR IN AFGHANISTAN??? News and Politics

Up to 2,000 extra British troops are likely to be sent to Afghanistan next year, the BBC has learned.

Ministers are considering sending reinforcements to Afghanistan to meet an expected request from Barack Obama, when he becomes US president next year.

In talks, Afghan leaders told Gordon Brown more troops were needed as it emerged two Royal Marines were killed on Tuesday in the south of the country.

The Ministry of Defence said it had not received a request for extra troops.

American brigades

The last two days in Afghanistan have been marked by bloody fighting, and at least 21 military and civilian deaths.

At Downing Street, during a visit to London, Afghanistan's president, Hamid Karzai, told Gordon Brown all efforts were being made "to bring violence down" after the Afghan foreign minister urged Britain to send in more troops.

The UK already has 8,100 troops in Helmand province and British ministers have publicly argued any extras should come from elsewhere in Europe in order to share the burden more fairly.

But the BBC's diplomatic correspondent James Robbins said that privately ministers and officials conceded the new president would still ask for a greater British fighting effort.

He said they also made it clear that no government would want to say no to President Obama early in his term of office, particularly given his huge following.

Our correspondent said some British officials accepted it might be necessary to commit up to 2,000 more soldiers next year.

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