Search: Brown Afghanistan pledge
Britain cannot afford to "walk away" from the mission in Afghanistan if it is to prevent future al Qaida attacks on the streets of the UK, Gordon Brown will warn.
The Prime Minister will use a keynote speech to reaffirm the Government's commitment to the Afghan campaign following the losses of recent days - including five soldiers killed by an Afghan policeman they had been helping to train.
He will stress the need to continue with the policy of mentoring the Afghan security forces, arguing that it is what distinguishes the international military presence from "an army of occupation".
His latest intervention comes amid concerns in Whitehall that public and political support for the the Afghan mission is beginning to crumble in the face of the continuing losses.
Mr Brown will again attempt to drive home the message that the military campaign is inextricably linked to the national security of the UK, with terrorists continuing to plot attacks from the region.
"We will not be deterred, dissuaded or diverted from taking whatever measures are necessary to protect our security," he will say, according to advance extracts released by No 10.
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"When the main terrorist threat facing Britain emanates from Afghanistan and Pakistan; and when, although the sustained pressure in Pakistan, combined with military action in Afghanistan, is having a suppressive effect on al Qaida, we know that they continue to train and plot attacks on Britain from the region - we can not, must not and will not walk away."
His comments are a direct refutation of the argument by the former foreign office minister Kim Howells that Britain would be better off withdrawing its troops and diverting the resources to strengthening internal security.
The Prime Minister will strongly defend the policy of British troops working alongside the Afghans to build up their security forces in the wake of concerns raised by this week's lethal attack by an Afghan policeman.
"We will not give up this strategy of mentoring, because it is what distinguishes a liberating army from an army of occupation," he will say. Mr Brown will also use the speech to issue a rallying call to the other members of the international coalition in Afghanistan, urging them not to give up on the mission.
