LONDON: The British government is poised to expand its military involvement in Afghanistan by deploying troops in a town outside the capital, Kabul, for the first time, sources in London said on Friday.

Mounting concern about the lack of government control over the countryside has prompted the US to ask allies to contribute troops to “regional teams” based in six large towns.

Washington has also been under growing pressure for help from the Afghan leader, Hamid Karzai, whose remit does not extend much beyond the capital. According to one London source, Britain is actively considering the US request. However another well-placed source said the decision has already been made and the deployment will begin in December.

The teams would be responsible for training local Afghan forces as well as undertaking security patrols. They would also include staff from civil and humanitarian agencies.

“We are looking at ways to help in parts of Afghanistan other than the capital,” one London source said.

Defence sources are reluctant to comment on the issue, mainly because of serious concern among military chiefs of being overstretched, with troops covering for firefighters and preparing for deployment in the Gulf in the event of an attack on Iraq.

But one of the sources in London said the deployment had been approved at the highest levels as part of an effort to demonstrate that the west is serious about Afghanistan in the long-term: “The Afghans have seen people come and go and are understandably wary.”

On a visit to Bagram airbase north of Kabul on Thursday, the US commander in charge of the overall ‘war against terrorism’, General Tommy Franks reinforced the message: “While an awful lot has been done in Afghanistan, this is Afghanistan. We’re just going to have to stay with it for as long as it takes ... to be sure that we don’t permit terrorism to retake Afghanistan.”

Gen. Franks refused to say whether the US mission was evolving into one of ‘nation-building’ — a goal some US political and military leaders say is better left to the United Nations or other organizations.

He denied that the US-led war against Osama bin Laden’s Al Qaeda network in Afghanistan was faltering. It is believed that the US has asked Britain to command an international team based in Khost.

Britain has about 300 troops attached to the international security assistance force (ISAF) in Kabul. Britain was the first leader of Isaf before handing over to Turkey. A joint German-Dutch military command is due to take over from Turkey in December.—Dawn/The Guardian News Service.