Gordon Brown won't pull troops out of Afghanistan

The Prime Minister Gordon Brown is expected to announce that he won't take troops out of Afghanistan in order to prevent future al Qaida attacks in the UK. In a keynote speech Mr Brown will reaffirm the Government's commitment to the Afghan campaign despite the losses of recent days that included five soldiers killed by an Afghan policeman they had been helping to train. The Prime Minister will state that the military campaign is inextricably linked to the national security of the UK, with terrorists continuing to plot attacks from the region. According to advance extracts released by No 10 he will say: "We will not be deterred, dissuaded or diverted from taking whatever measures are necessary to protect our security," "When the main terrorist threat facing Britain emanates from Afghanistan and Pakistan; and when, although the sustained pressure in Pakistan, combined with military action in Afghanistan, is having a suppressive effect on al Qaida, we know that they continue to train and plot attacks on Britain from the region - we can not, must not and will not walk away." With the annual Remembrance Day commemorations approaching, the Prime Minister will say that the bravery and sacrifice of British troops serving in Afghanistan will not be forgotten.

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ITN | November 6, 2009

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