UK to send more troops, equipment or maybe not

According to the Observer/Guardian the UK is going to send 2,ooo additional troops to Afghanistan.

Thousands more troops could be sent to Afghanistan within months, under an emergency review of the UK mission being carried out by the Ministry of Defence.

The news of a possible troop surge comes after eight British soldiers were killed within 24 hours, leading to fresh calls from senior military and political figures for urgent reinforcements - and an end to Treasury constraints on spending on the Afghan war. Fifteen British soldiers have died during the first 11 days of July, with the total of 184 deaths surpassing the 179 who were killed in Iraq. A soldier who died in an explosion on Thursday has been named as Daniel Hume, 22, from 4th Bn, The Rifles.

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But hold on. The Independent on Sunday says the government is planning on withdrawing 1,500 troops.

Ministers are secretly planning to cut the number of British troops in Afghanistan, at a time when defence chiefs are appealing for thousands more reinforcements to meet the deadly threat from the resurgent Taliban.

Hours after the death toll of UK forces in Afghanistan rose above the number killed in Iraq, The Independent on Sunday established that Gordon Brown wants to bring up to 1,500 service personnel home from the war-torn country after its elections next month, seemingly on grounds of cost.

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The Scotsman on Sunday says the opposition Tories believe the lack of helicopters and equipment were behind the spike in deaths last week in Afghanistan.

Curiously there is some truth in all the reports. The labor party would like to pull some of the troops out and they have been squeezing them with equipment shortages, while the military believes it needs at least another 2,000 troops. Apparently the cost of socialism is too high to fight a small war right now.