Afghanistan is 'crucible of terror'

Rachel Polster

The British Prime Minister Gordon Brown made a surprise visit to Afghanistan and warned that a 'crucible of terrorism' existed in the border region with Pakistan because of the Taliban. Brown talked with the Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul and also visited British troops. He said that the UK's 8,300 troops would be raised to 9,000 during the Afghan elections in August. He declared that the region between Afghanistan and Pakistan was a breeding ground for terrorism and in order to make the UK more secure they need to tackle the extremism. There have been 52 British deaths in Afghanistan in 2008 which is the worst year since the original deployment in 2001.