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Petraeus in Afghan talks with PM Petraeus in Afghan talks with PM
(30 minutes later)
US commander General David Petraeus has met Gordon Brown at Downing Street for talks on Afghanistan and Iraq. US commander General David Petraeus has met Gordon Brown at Downing Street for talks on Afghanistan.
The outgoing commander of US troops in Iraq is to lead the US Central Command and oversee operations in Afghanistan. Gen Petraeus, who is to head US Central Command covering Iraq and Afghanistan, would not be drawn on whether more UK troops were needed.
After the meeting, Gen Petraeus was asked if he wanted more UK troops for Afghanistan. Speaking after the meeting, he said the UK had made a "very good" contribution but it was for Nato and others to decide how to "source the forces".
He said the UK had made a "very good" contribution but it was for Nato and national authorities to decide how to "source the forces". He said the Afghan national army and police also had to be increased.
Gen Petraeus, who until recently was the top military commander in Iraq, will take over as head of Central Command next month, covering an area from the Horn of Africa into central Asia, including operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
He said it was for the "greater coalition" to decide "how to generate the additional forces".
"I think it is up to the coalition how to source the forces. I think that the UK has responded with a very good contribution, doubling its force," he said.
Gen Petraeus said there had been "significant progress" in some areas of Afghanistan but added: "There's no question that the trends and terms of violence and so forth have been in the wrong direction.
"In that case you're either spiralling downwards or upwards and in certain areas in Afghanistan clearly there has been a spiral downward that all involved... want to arrest."
Coalition commanders were determined to keep fighting throughout the harsh Afghan winter, he said.
"We think we will see a continuation of fighting even through the winter season and perhaps it will be more than we have seen in the past," he said.
"I think that we are going to endeavour to continue a higher level of operational tempo throughout so that there is not the lull in the fighting season and we continue to take the fight to the enemy."