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How can the war in Afghanistan be won? With the conflict entering its ninth year and few signs that the fighting is easing, many think the answer lies in sending even more troops to weaken the insurgents and strengthen the government. It's welcome news in Kabul where the administration worries about falling support for the war in the West.

"You all have invested so much blood and treasure, so we have to ensure that all that blood and treasure was not worthless."

The task for any extra troops would be to provide security in the south but also to try and allow the government of Afghanistan to extend its influence. But there's a growing sense of a political vacuum in Kabul. Almost two months after Afghans went to the polls to choose their next leader, there’s still no result and a suggestion that they may even have to go to a second round run-off because the level of fraud was so significant.

These are the men locked in the struggle to lead Afghanistan. Gordon Brown spoke to President Karzai and his rival Doctor Abdullah to ask for more Afghan soldiers to fight alongside UK troops and the promise to deal with corruption. They’re shocked at the scale of fraud in this election and questions about whether it undermines the call for increasing foreign forces here.

"Of course, we would not be sending our young men and women to fight for the Afghan government. We're sending them there to defend our interest and to prevent us from being attacked again, and I'm sure that's the way the British government feels as well. There's no doubt that a strong, effective government makes our job easier."

But first, there needs to be an election result. In the next few days, there will be a ruling on fraud and a final count. There are fears that the second round run-off could end to the instability. And the BBC has learned that the search is now on for other options.

"Afghans have to decide for themselves whether they want to go through with it or it is always the issue of some sort of political deal, a national agreement as to what to do."

This election was a chance to clean up corruption to show progress. But the controversy threatens to undermine the next government and make the job of any new troops even harder.

 Glossary [only for reference]

lie [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]: if a problem, an answer, blame etc lies somewhere, it is caused by, exists, or can be found in that thing, person, or situation
welcome: if something is welcome, you are glad that it has happened
the West: the western part of the world and the people that live there, especially Western Europe and North America
blood and treasure: used to refer to the human and monetary costs associated with various (usually state-initiated) endeavours such as space exploration or war
political vacuum: a state of relative anarchy compared to neighboring states, often caused by death of the head of state before a successor could be designated
run-off [countable]: a second competition or election that is arranged when there is no clear winner of the first one
fraud [uncountable and countable]: the crime of deceiving people in order to gain something such as money or goods
undermine [transitive]: to gradually make someone or something less strong or effective
lock [transitive usually passive]: if you are locked in a situation, you cannot get out of it
ruling [countable]: a decision
instability [uncountable and countable]: when a situation is not certain because there is the possibility of sudden change
search [singular]: an attempt to find an explanation or solution
go through with [phrasal verb]: to do something you had promised or planned to do, even though it causes problems or you are no longer sure you want to do it
as to: formal, about
clean up [phrasal verb]: to put an end to; finish