It would seem to me that it would be far more cost effective to rid the U.K. of addicts and traffickers.
You would need a strong government to go down this track are you ready for it ? mostpeople are , Government dragging its feet, wonder why ?
The Opium war with China was not that long ago.

bernie, Sydney,

why not enlist saudi arabia soldiers to fight instead of our loved ones !!!!!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lm_xX1Ur43I

rich, pittsburgh, pa, usa

Great idea! Send another 4000 ... and then another 4000 ... and then another.
There are sixty million Pashtuns, and they will ALL fight until the foreign armies are thrown out of Afghanistan.
Blair has got his £100 million a year job in America - so now we can bring our troops back, right?

Dave Morgan, Portree, Scotland

For the chap who assumes we're bankrupt for sending the boys out to the desert - he's sadly misktaken. We're bankrupt through high government borrowing/spending domestically. The money that goes into our fat welfare state is, in my mind, far better spent on young men killing jihadists in the Orient.

L.L. Chase, Tunbridge Wells, England

Innocent American and British troops are losing their live's everyday in a war that is not their's. Spain was smart to withdraw their troops from Bush's war, this is just inflamming the situation. Both governments must equip the troops properly government incompetency.

Tim, London, United Kingdom

and with what are we going to pay for another brigade out there? milk bottle tops?UK PLC is bankrupt thanks to Bliar's wars and Bruin's incompetence

peter c, Devizes, Wessex

I am a member of the TA and the infantry units in the UK are eager to do are our bit for the UK, but we want to go as a whole unit not as bit part players, I believe I speak for the whole of the TA in saying this.

smith, Manchester, England

Where is the government going to get 4000 extra troops, we are in Basra as well. I am a member of the TA and we don’t get much training now due to cutbacks? If the Government want us there expand the military now and give it at least an extra 5 billion pounds budget.

peter, stoke, UK

Thats what they said in 1939 in Germany "Support your armed forces and never mind the political doctrine". Somehow that doesnt seem the right thing to say Kirk from Rotherham.

alan, worcs, UK

I'm sure the generals could use any number of extra troops - also vehicles, helicopters, and other supplies. Their objective has been set by the UK government: to defeat the Taliban. However, that is an impractical and immoral objective. We should get out of other people's countries right away.

Tom Welsh, Basingstoke,

CWW..get your facts right. The whole of Afghanistan was against the Russian forces. NATO are there to protect the majority from the Taleban and as such have that support. I hate defeatists and thats what you liberals are.! Support your armed forces and never mind the political doctrine.

kirk, Rotherhamj, UK

There may be a need for another 4,000 troops but the ability to generate them for anything other than a very short time was thrown away by the Conservative government in 1993 with its 'Options for Change' attempt to cut defence costs when the army was reduced from 150 to 100 thousand.

Peter Haldane, London,

Cant we get our convicted knife criminals rounded up, handed a steak knife, and let them run riot round Helmand for a fortnight? That should thin out the Taliban ranks yes?

Chris, Rochdale, UK

I say, Up Guards and at 'em.

Brian P O Cinneide, eThekwini, Afrika Borwa

If the mighty Russian military couldn't stop the Taliban what chance has NATO to do the same with a much smaller force?

cww, Ipswich,