Gordon Brown: 'crucible of terrorism'

Guardian: "Gordon Brown today signalled a shift in the UK strategy for Afghanistan, announcing that greater effort will be directed towards the border with Pakistan, which he described as "a crucible for terrorism" responsible for fostering up to three-quarters of terror threats faced by the UK.

Brown was speaking on his first visit to Afghanistan since announcing troop reinforcements for the country at the Nato summit at the end of March.

His warning today mirrors the new strategy adopted by the US since Barack Obama became president. It places the Afghanistan-Pakistan border as central to the UK's future operations in the region. Brown is heading for Pakistan today where he will meet its president, Asif Ali Zardari.

Brown said: "There is a crucible of terrorism in the mountainous border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Our approach to those countries is different but must be complementary. Our strategy for dealing with this breeding ground of terrorism will mean more security on the streets of Britain."