500 troops set to be Afghan-bound; PM agreement is 'in principle'.

Byline: EXAMINER

GORDON BROWN has given the go ahead "in principle" for the deployment of an additional 500 British troops to Afghanistan, taking the total UK force in the country to 9,500.

In a Commons statement, the Prime Minister said he was responding to "clear military advice" from the Chiefs of Staff and from military commanders on the ground.

However, he told MPs the reinforcements were dependent on a series of conditions being met - including a requirement that all troops would be fully equipped for the tasks they were being sent to undertake.

Earlier, he came under fire from former defence secretary John Hutton who said it would have been "much more helpful" if the reinforcements had been sent six months ago.

Mr Hutton, who resigned in May at a time when military chiefs were reported to be pressing for up to 2,000 additional troops, warned the Government could "screw it up really badly" if the forces were not given the resources they needed.

He said: "If this is a mission about national security then you do everything that you need to do to secure it. No ifs and buts, because you've got to prosecute these campaigns absolutely clearly and with the force levels that you need to succeed.

"If you do an economy of force operation here I think you could screw it up really badly."

While the head of the Army, General Sir David Richards said he was "confident" that Mr Brown's criteria would be met, Downing Street was unable to say when the deployment of the additional troops would take place.

As well as the need to ensure they were properly equipped, Mr Brown said there had to be an agreed approach across the international coalition, with all countries, "bearing their fair share".

CAPTION(S):

ADVICE: Gordon Brown said he's listened to military