LONDON, June 14 (Xinhuanet) -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair is preparing to send up to 2,000 troops to Afghanistan next year when Britain takes over control of the NATO peacekeeping mission in the country, British newspaper Financial Time reported on Tuesday.

    According to the report, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) on Monday confirmed that plans were being made for a deployment in the spring but said a final announcement was unlikely before the autumn, the report said.

    The ministry also dismissed as "speculation" reports that as many as 5,000 troops would be sent to the south of Afghanistan.

    The report quoted a British official as saying that no firm decision had been taken beyond deploying the headquarters of the British-led Allied Rapid Reaction Force, but said the MoD is looking at a force of between 1,500 and 2,000 troops.

    The final figure will depend on their location, the extent of their responsibilities in backing up local security forces and whether they need communications support if spread across inhospitable territory, it added.

    The MoD denied the Afghan deployment was linked to troop levels in Iraq. But it is bound to raise concerns about over-stretching the armed forces and the cost of foreign operations. the report said.

    According to Whitehall sources, the deployment of extra troops to Afghanistan will cost between 300 million pounds (540 million US dollars) and 700 million pounds (1,260 million dollars) over a three-year period, depending on the size of the overall military operation.

    Britain currently has 500 troops attached to the international force in Afghanistan. Enditem