Obama: British help in Afghan war effort vital

LONDON (AP) - President Barack Obama waded into Britain's debate over the war in Afghanistan, calling Britain's contribution critically important in the struggle to prevent terrorists from establishing a stronghold in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

In an interview with Sky News broadcast Sunday, Obama acknowledged the rising death toll - Britain has now lost more troops in Afghanistan than it did in Iraq - but said the mission is vital to U.S. and European security.

"My heart goes out to the families of those British soldiers," he said. "Great Britain has played an extraordinary role in this coalition, understanding that we can not allow either Afghanistan or Pakistan to be a safe haven for al-Qaida, those who with impunity blow up train stations in London or buildings in New York."

Obama, interviewed in Ghana on Saturday, spoke as British leaders coped with new questions about the war in light of the loss of eight soldiers within a 24-hour period that ended Friday. Those deaths pushed Britain's overall toll in Afghanistan to 184.

Some former officers say British forces lack the proper equipment to prevail in Helmand Province, where they have been engaged in fierce fighting with Taliban forces.

Obama said U.S. and British troops in Afghanistan face a difficult summer, and that the emphasis may shift from military to diplomatic and reconstruction efforts after national elections in Afghanistan. Afghans will choose a president and provincial councils in August.

"We've got to get through elections," Obama said. "The most important thing we can do is to combine our military efforts with effective diplomacy and development, so that Afghans feel a greater stake and have a greater capacity to secure their country."

He said the postelection period may see a focus on creating an Afghan army and an Afghan police force.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown also backed the war effort despite the high cost, telling a senior parliamentary committee Saturday that military commanders in Afghanistan believe they are meeting their objectives. He has said repeatedly that fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan will help keep extremist groups from launching attacks inside Britain.

But there are signs this argument is losing support. In an editorial, The Observer newspaper predicted Sunday that the British public will likely soon decide the war is not worth the cost in casualties.

"Unless there is a dramatic change in circumstances, the public will decide the stakes are too high," the newspaper said. "Lives saved by bringing soldiers home will seem a surer benefit than the unproven hypothesis of preventing terrorism with a war thousands of miles away."

It said the troops must be brought home from Afghanistan unless there is a new justification for the intervention.

Former Defense Secretary Lord King also criticized the government's war effort Sunday, citing a shortage of helicopters as one factor putting troops at risk. He said British forces have been forced at times to borrow helicopters from U.S. forces.

"We are in this critical offensive at the present time which I think will determine the outcome of the Afghan situation and the whole Afghanistan campaign," he said. "This is a critical time and they must have the resources to do the job."

Britain moved into Afghanistan with the U.S. shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks as part of a coalition hoping to stamp out terrorism and build a stable government able to extinguish the Taliban.
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