Brown warning for Afghan head; 'Dithering' PM is under attack.

Byline: EXAMINER

GORDON Brown has warned Afghanistan's re-elected president that he will "forfeit the right to international support" if he fails to root out corruption.

The Prime Minister also told President Hamid Karzai a home-grown army must be built to take over responsibility for security in his country.

Mr Brown made clear that he was not threatening to pull Britain's 9,000-strong military force out of Afghanistan.

Defending Britain's mission in Afghanistan, Mr Brown warned that al Qaida was still training and plotting attacks from the region and UK troops were "our first line of defence" against terror attacks at home.

The Prime Minister's warning came in a speech to military top brass in London at the end of a bloody week for British troops, with seven dead including five servicemen murdered by a "rogue" Afghan policeman.

The mother of one of the dead men, Warrant Officer Class 1 Darren Chant, called for British troops to be brought home.

Elizabeth Chant said her son loved the Army, but added: "Darren wouldn't have me say anything bad, but I do think that those boys should come home now because there's too many being killed."

The Prime Minister also came under pressure from former military chiefs in the House of Lords, who called for "clear direction" and warned that British and US indecision would harm the war effort.

Ex-chief of defence staff General Lord Guthrie accused Mr Brown of "dithering" over his promise to deploy 500 extra troops and told peers: "The people in the frontline are questioning whether the Government is really, really committed to making progress in Afghanistan."

CAPTION(S):

* ATTACK: Ex chief of Defence Lord Guthrie