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US Envoy: NATO To Send More Forces To Afghanistan

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  • US Envoy: NATO To Send More Forces To Afghanistan

    US ENVOY: NATO TO SEND MORE FORCES TO AFGHANISTAN
    By Slobodan Lekic

    AP
    03/12/09

    BRUSSELS - U.S. special envoy Richard C. Holbrooke acknowledged
    Thursday that the war in Afghanistan is unpopular, given "the legacy
    of Iraq and Vietnam," but he predicted that NATO allies will soon
    contribute more forces to join the 30,000 additional U.S. troops
    being deployed there.

    "We have been very gratified by the strong support of our European
    allies for President Obama's policy," Holbrooke, the president's
    special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, told journalists.

    He spoke before a two-day meeting of NATO foreign ministers that opens
    later Thursday. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will
    brief the ministers on Friday.

    Obama's new plan for the war in Afghanistan calls for the dispatch
    of 30,000 more troops, but includes assurances that some of them will
    begin withdrawing in July 2011.

    On Thursday, NATO spokesman James Appathurai said pledges from the
    alliance already have exceeded 5,000 troops. More than 20 nations are
    expected to make firm commitments at a force-generation conference
    on Monday, and following the international conference on Afghanistan
    in January, he said.

    After Appathurai spoke, Italy - which has 2,800 troops in Afghanistan
    - announced that it will increase its contingent by about 1,000
    soldiers starting next year. That will allow its force to take full
    responsibility for Western region of Herat, Afghanistan, and reduce the
    commitment of U.S. and British troops there. Armenia also announced
    it would send a small contingent of 40 troops to Afghanistan early
    next year, its first deployment as part of the international coalition.

    Still, many European countries have been reluctant to add large numbers
    of soldiers to a war that often looks unwinnable, and to support an
    Afghan government tainted by corruption and election fraud.

    Some leaders are waiting for an international conference on Afghanistan
    in London next month before promising any more troops.

    "I understand that the war is unpopular," Holbrooke said. "It's a
    long way off, and there's the legacy of Iraq and Vietnam."

    But he also predicted that NATO members would announce more troops
    for Afghanistan at a series of meetings in the coming weeks. "Some
    countries may decide to speak tomorrow at the NATO ministerial, others
    will work it through the force-generation conference on Dec. 7, and
    others have announced already they are going to work toward the Jan.

    28 date for the London conference," Holbrooke said.

    France, Germany and other West European nations spearheaded opposition
    to the U.S.-led attack on Iraq in 2003, damaging relations between
    Washington and some of its closest allies.

    But unlike al-Qaida, the enemies in Iraq and Vietnam did not pose a
    direct danger to the security of allied nations, Holbrooke said.

    "Our core objectives in Afghanistan have not changed, but resources
    to achieve them have been increased," he said. Success will depend
    on close cooperation between all 43 troop-contributing nations
    and countries such as Japan, which provide development aid to the
    government in Kabul, he said.

    Brig. Gen. Eric Tremblay, the spokesman for the 83,000-strong NATO
    force in Afghanistan, said that although more combat troops are needed,
    military instructors needed to train the expanding Afghan army and
    police also are a priority.

    Other priorities include retaining trained troops in the government's
    army, he said. Low salaries and poor morale have contributed to a
    1.5-2 percent desertion rate from the force, one of the highest in
    recent history.

    So far, most of the pledges of additional troops have been small
    numbers from small nations. The largest contributors - Britain,
    France and Germany - are holding off on new troop pledges, waiting
    for the Afghanistan conference in London on Jan. 28.

    Italy's defense minister said Thursday his country will send about
    1,000 new troops. But the Turkish Foreign Ministry said that, while
    it is considering increasing its training of Afghan security forces,
    it will not participate in combat operations.

    The U.S. now has 71,000 troops in Afghanistan, while other NATO
    members and allies collectively have 38,000 troops there. With the
    reinforcements, the international forces will grow to more than
    140,000.

    The Afghan army has about 94,000 troops, and plans to expand to
    134,000. The Afghan police number about 93,000 members.

    The U.S. and Afghan forces face an estimated 25,000 Taliban insurgents.
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