LONDON — British Prime Minister Gordon Brown pledged Wednesday to send another 500 troops to bolster international forces in Afghanistan, but only if other coalition countries pull their weight as well.
Brown also conditioned the increase on an assurance by the government in Kabul to recruit more Afghan soldiers and on sufficient equipment being available for the extra British troops, a hot-button issue here after recent reports of a lack of helicopters and other military hardware.
Brown’s announcement came even as a new poll indicated growing opposition among Britons to involvement in the war. More than one-third of respondents in the Populus poll demanded an immediate withdrawal of troops, up from less than 30 percent a month ago, while another third backed setting a pullout deadline of within a year.
In Washington, the White House said the latest three-hour meeting on the United States’ next moves in Afghanistan dealt at length with strengthening the civilian mission and training of Afghan police and army.
Spokesman Robert Gibbs said Wednesday that the fifth gathering of President Barack Obama’s security team looked forward to a day when the Afghan police and army would be able to provide security for the country.
Gibbs denied a report circulating in Britain that the president had made a decision on a request from the U.S. Afghan commander, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, for as many as 80,000 additional American forces.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
