‘We are favourable to sending more troops to Afghanistan ... because it is essential that NATO wins its battle against the Taleban,’ Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen told reporters.

The government is considering increasing the troop deployment from 400 to 600, but no final decision has been taken about the number or the timeframe, he said.

The withdrawal of Denmark’s 430 ground troops from Iraq, announced simultaneously with Britain’s decision to reduce its troops by 1,600, ‘offers the possibility to strengthen’ the country’s presence in Afghanistan, Rasmussen said.

Most of Denmark’s troops in Afghanistan are stationed in the Helmand province, in the south of the country, under British command.