UK prime minister promises commitment, demands reform in Afghanistan

In a major speech on Afghanistan, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Friday that Britain "cannot, must not, and will not walk away" from its mission there.

But Brown also warned that reform in Afghanistan is needed if British troops are to remain.

"I am not prepared to put the lives of British men and women in harm's way for a government that does not stand up against corruption," Brown said.

The prime minister spoke three days after an Afghan National Police officer opened fire on the British troops who were training him, killing five British soldiers and wounding six others.

Their deaths brought to 93 the number of British service personnel killed in Afghanistan this year, Brown said. Britain has 9,000 groups in the country.

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