David Miliband urged President Obama to embrace a renewed hearts and minds strategy in Afghanistan as ministers indicated that they would not send more British troops unless the US adopted such an approach. The Foreign Secretary did not mention America by name but called on every government in the coalition to back troops, aid workers and diplomats in support of a clear plan. We came into this together. We see it through together, he told the Labour conference in Brighton. His words reflect a growing concern in the Government over Mr Obamas apparent reluctance to garner political consent for a troop surge, which commanders say is needed to build up the Afghan Army and defeat the Taleban insurgency. General Stanley McChrystal, the top commander in Afghanistan, wants a revamped counter-insurgency more forces on the ground engaging civilians and persuading the Taleban to switch sides as opposed to a counter-terrorism strategy focused on al-Qaeda reducing troop numbers and attacking militants mostly with drone missile strikes. Last night, David Cameron said that that the first thing he would do if elected prime minister would be to form a war cabinet. He said that it would comprise his Foreign Secretary, Chancellor, Defence Secretary, Home Secretary and the heads of the Armed Forces, MI6 and MI5. With Washington divided over which approach to take Mr Milibands message was unambiguous. The way to defeat this enemy is to divide it, separate the hard core from the rest, he said. Abandoning the current mission would turn the clock back to the 1990s when Afghanistan was a place for al-Qaeda to seduce, groom, train and plan for deadly terrorist missions. With the best of intentions we would be risking the next 9/11 or 7/7. His address came as General McChrystal renewed his call for attempts to reintegrate Taleban members into the rest of the population. He said that 50 to 80 per cent of the Taleban would probably stop fighting if they were given jobs.The general is known to have asked for up to 40,000 more troops as part of his recent assessment of the mission. Britain has drawn up plans for an increase of up to 1,000 in troop levels to support the McChrystal plan and Bob Ainsworth, the Defence Secretary, said that there were difficult decisions to be taken. Mr Ainsworth gave himself room for manoeuvre by adding: We will take those decisions as an alliance, although the UK cannot allow the deployment of its troops to outstrip the supply of equipment which allows them to do their job and minimises the risks that they face. Before I agree to any increase in troop numbers I must be sure that the balance of risk is acceptable by evaluating the capacity of the supply chain to properly equip the increased force. British ministers say privately they would be reluctant to increase the military presence if there were a move to a counter-terrorism strategy. Theres no point in us being in Helmand if that happens, one senior figure said. General McChrystal, speaking in London at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said that the campaign had been underresourced in the past. The situation is serious and I choose that word very, very carefully. Neither success nor failure can be taken for granted. Isaf had to show it would support and protect the people. In the end we dont win by defeating the Taleban or by a body count but when the Afghans have decided that we have won. He added that the coalition did not have an infinite amount of time. These efforts will not remain winnable indefinitely. Public support will not last indefinitely. (The Times)