UK's Brown calls for sharing Afghan combat burden

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Saturday called for other NATO nations to do more to share the burden of fighting Taliban insurgents and stem the rising tide of violence in Afghanistan. The US is sending 3,000 extra troops to add to the 31,000 soldiers it already has there.

Britain, the second biggest troop contributor to Afghanistan, has recently reinforced its 8,100 soldiers with 300 extra troops, but military commanders oppose sending more. While 41 countries have troops in Afghanistan, some European NATO members do not allow their forces to operate in the south and east where almost all the fighting takes place and bar them from offensive operations. (Reuters)