London, June 17 (bdnews24.com/Reuters) - Britain will increase its force in Afghanistan by 230, taking the total number of British troops there to more than 8,000, Defence Secretary Des Browne told parliament on Monday.

Browne said the situation in Afghanistan had improved over the past 12 months, but a switch by Taliban guerrillas from conventional attacks to suicide bombings and roadside bomb attacks posed a different threat.

He said 400 British military positions would be removed and 630 added as part of the 52,000-strong NATO-led International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF) -- a net increase of 230.

The extra troops would include helicopter crews to increase flying time of aircraft and crews to drive new armoured vehicles, Browne said. Harrier jets would be brought home and replaced with Tornado jets to reduce wear on British fighters.

While it was not a major increase in overall numbers, it did show the force was expanding and would boost the military's commitment to development in Afghanistan, Browne said.

British troops are mainly involved in Helmand province, an opium-growing desert area along a fertile river crescent that has been a Taliban stronghold.

British troops have fought in the area since 2005, and along with U.S. forces have claimed a number of successes this year in the province.

"The Taliban's leadership has been targeted successfully and recent operations in southern Helmand have disrupted severely their training and lines of communication," Browne said.

Five British servicemen were killed in Afghanistan last week, bringing the total toll since 2001 to 102 and prompting some soul-searching at home about a mission that does not have broad public support but which Browne called a "noble cause".

Britain and the United States have both complained that some other NATO members, while publicly supporting the war in Afghanistan, have been slow to offer troops or to allow them to participate in combat in dangerous areas.

Britain has drawn down its forces from its other main conflict, Iraq, as it has increased them in Afghanistan. It now has about 4,200 troops in southern Iraq.

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