Training Afghan forces

Brown, who visited Helmand province, said boosting military training for Afghan troops would enable them to "take more responsibility for their own affairs."

"I think we could get another 50,000 Afghan army personnel trained over the next year," Brown told reporters on Saturday. "They're backed up by partnering and mentoring done by the British forces," he added.

He said he had conveyed that message to both Afghan President Hamid Karzai and to presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah.

Brown dismissed allegations that British forces were suffering from poor equipment and lack of support from London. He stressed the soldiers were equipped with modern material to protect them against the insurgents' attacks.

The British prime minister also called for better and speedier training of Afghan security forces so that fighting the Taliban could increasingly be shouldered by both NATO and Afghan forces.

Afghan mission misgivings

Brown also thanked British troops for their efforts in fighting Taliban insurgents in the run up to the presidential elections.

Analysts however say that better and quicker training of Afghan forces will only be possible with a fresh infusion of British troops. Brown announced that this autumn, up to 200 anti-explosives specialists would be dispatched to join British troops.

There are currently 9,000 British troops in Afghanistan - mostly in Helmand. 207 British soldiers have been killed since 2001. The high casualties have increasingly turned public opinion in Britain against the mission.

German troops suffer from poor equipment

Brown's visit to Helmand comes amid reports in Germany that German troops are suffering from poor equipment in their struggle against insurgents in the north of Afghanistan.

German magazine Der Spiegel on Saturday cited an internal defense ministry document, saying that shoddy equipment put German troops at a disadvantage in the face of mounting attacks from the Taliban.

The magazine quoted the document as saying the troops were facing a "critical" situation with vehicles and armory not working properly.

It added that bulletproof jackets were so bulky that soldiers cannot aim their guns properly. Also, the machine gun mounted on the armored vehicles was in effect only there for show, since it could only fire forwards and could not react to attacks from the side or rear of the vehicle.

Germany has around 4,000 troops stationed mostly in the northern Kunduz region of Afghanistan.

ai/Reuters/dpa/AFP
Editor: Andy Valvur