Britain is to send an additional 800 troops to southern Afghanistan, Defence Secretary Des Browne said Thursday, as forces brace for a spring offensive by Taliban insurgents. The increase will bring Britain's force in the south, where it has spearheaded a NATO-led offensive against insurgents, to some 5,800 by late summer.

But overall Britain's deployment in the country will rise by only 300 since London is to withdraw 500 troops from Kabul when it hands over command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to the United States this weekend.

The extra troops will be heading for the British hub in Helmand province, which has in recent months seen the worst of a Taliban-led insurgency which claimed over 4,000 lives last year.

Most of the 46 British soldiers killed during the war have died there.

While recent months have been relatively calm compared with last year, military chiefs fear that Taliban fighters are preparing for a massive spring offensive as snows melt, allowing them to renew attacks on NATO targets.

The government is turning to reservists to supply a large portion of the necessary manpower — it is issuing some 600 call-out notices in order to fill around 420 positions in Afghanistan.

The announcement comes following wrangling within NATO about some countries' willingness to commit troops to areas experiencing high levels of violence.

Browne said in his statement that NATO defence ministers would discuss the issue of extra troops when they meet in Seville, Spain, next week.

"All military operations are subject to regular review," he said.

"Work on the balance of NATO's commitment in Afghanistan is under way and I intend to discuss this with my NATO colleagues when we next meet on 8-9 February."

Earlier this month, the British commander of NATO troops in Afghanistan, General David Richards, warned in an interview that more soldiers were needed for what he said should be a year-long push to defeat militia.

"I hope, but am not yet convinced, that the nations concerned now understand this crucial issue," he added.

And last month, British former secretary-general Lord Peter Carrington accused France and Germany of "not pulling their weight".

NATO leads around 33,000 troops from 37 nations under ISAF, which is trying to spread the influence of the Afghan government to outlying regions.

Earlier this week, the United States announced it was keeping on 3,500 troops for an extra four months in Afghanistan, while an extra 1,010 Polish service personnel are to join ISAF in April.

Richards welcomed the news, saying he was "confident" of further commitments from other countries soon.

Source: Agence France-Presse