PM in Afghan troops plea to Nato

12 April 2012

The Prime Minister has urged Britain's Nato partners to contribute more to operations in Afghanistan.

At Commons question time, Mr Blair praised British forces for their "extraordinary ... heroism and courage".

But he told Tory leader David Cameron that the Government did want other Nato countries to do "even more" to fight the Taliban.

Mr Cameron warned that without additional Nato troops there would be "significant pressure" for further British reinforcements to be sent to Afghanistan.

As question time got under way, Mr Blair paid tribute to troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past few days. He said British forces in the south of Afghanistan were displaying a "heroism that even with all the rich history of the British military is almost unparalleled".

Mr Cameron joined the tributes and condolences for the families of the dead and injured, but warned: "This week Nato have launched a significant offensive in the south of the country and with spring approaching many expect the intensity of the fighting to increase," he said.

Asked if he was confident that British forces are sufficiently backed by other Nato countries, Mr Blair replied: "I believe that the additional contribution we are making and the contributions of other Nato countries are immensely important here.

"But I think also it is fair to say that yes, of course, we want our Nato partners to do even more.

"Some countries have lifted caveats - others haven't. We continue to press them the entire time to do so.

"This will be part of the discussion, I've got no doubt, informally at the European summit as well as in any Nato meeting."

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