Britain will add about 500 more troops to its force in Afghanistan, Prime Minister Gordon Brown told parliament today — an announcement that had been anticipated, but as NPR's Rob Gifford reports came after intense questioning from lawmakers:

The Guardian writes that:


Some of the eighty Royal Marines of Zulu company 45 Commando prepare to leave their base RM Condor for six months tour in Afghanistan, on October 2, 2008 in Arbroath, Scotland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

More will soon be heading to Afghanistan. (Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty Images)


The government is aware of rising public opposition in both the U.K. and U.S. to the counter insurgency war in Afghanistan — the latest poll, by Populus for the Times, records that more than a third of voters believe British forces should be withdrawn from Afghanistan. Growing opposition to Britain's military presence has been driven by women, with four out of 10 wanting Britain out.

Yet Downing Street has also been under intense pressure from defense chiefs, particularly army commanders, to send in reinforcements. Military commanders say more troops are needed to protect and build up the civil infrastructure of areas captured from the Taliban. There are not enough troops to secure all the populated "green belt" along the river Helmand, they say. When British soldiers launched Panther's Claw, an operation north of the provincial capital Lashkar Gah, in the summer, several British soldiers were killed in the exposed Sangin valley to the north-east.

The U.K. will have about 9,500 military personnel in Afghanistan once the additional troops get there. The U.S. has about 68,000 troops authorized for action there, and President Barack Obama is debating whether to send tens of thousands more.