Gordon Brown and Barack Obama share a laughPhoto: Getty Images (Image from The Telegraph)
From Times Online:
Gordon Brown is considering rejecting an expected request from Barack Obama, the US President-elect, to send 2,000 more British troops to Afghanistan to join the surge of US forces confronting the Taleban.
Britain is expected to come under considerable pressure from Mr Obama when he becomes President in January to send another battle group of 1,500-2,000. Turning down such a request would open a rift between Britain and the US. British military chiefs have also been clamouring for reinforcements for the beleaguered troops in the southern Afghan province of Helmand.
Senior military officers have begun drawing up plans for boosting the British presence in southern Afghanistan to more than 10,000. Secret planning has been under way for some time to deploy another 2,000 troops, although the Ministry of Defence has previously denied reports that reinforcements were likely to be sent next year.
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My Comment: If true, this is a huge monkey-wrench in President-Elect's Obama's stated strategy on how to win in Afghanistan. If the U.K. refuses to participate in the surge, almost all other NATO allies will use them as an example on why they should also not increase their forces in the country.
With Canada already stating that they will be gone in 2011, any surge and increase in fighting will come from U.S. soldiers .... but they will be limited for the simple reason that they will just be taking over the operations from other allied countries who are leaving the theater of operations.