Miliband defends Afghan strategy

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband today defended his government's strategy in Aghanistan amid public outcry over troop deaths, saying the campaign was designed to make the UK safer.

There is mounting public concern in the UK about the way the campaign is being conducted following the deaths of 15 British soldiers since the start of the month.

Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth will face questions in the Commons later today when Afghanistan is the first subject on the order paper.

Mr Miliband denied that the UK’s mission was poorly manned and poorly equipped and told 'GMTV': “This is a mission that’s been developed with a very clear strategy: above all, to make us safer here because we know these areas of Afghanistan and its neighbour Pakistan are used to launch terrorism around the world.

“So the mission for us is clear.”

He said there had been a “terrible casualty toll” and paid tribute to those who were killed, but added that more helicopters alone was not the answer.

At the weekend the Ministry of Defence named eight men killed in the space of just 24 hours – including three young riflemen who were just 18 years old.

The latest deaths brought the total number of British military fatalities in Afghanistan since the start of operations in 2001 to 184 – surpassing the 179 who died in Iraq.

They sparked fresh criticisms that the British troops lacked the necessary numbers and equipment for their mission, as well as renewed questions about the whole purpose of the UK presence in Afghanistan.

Gordon Brown insisted that his government’s strategy was “the right one” and that the Operation Panther’s Claw offensive to drive the Taliban from central Helmand was making significant progress.

But Tory leader David Cameron said it was a “scandal” that British commanders still lacked sufficient helicopters to enable their troops to move around Helmand with a degree of safety.