NATO CHIEF Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said he expects non-US members of the military alliance to provide at least 5,000 additional troops to its mission in Afghanistan and possibly a few thousand more.
Following President Barack Obama’s decision to expedite the deployment of an additional 30,000 American troops to Afghanistan, Mr Rasmussen said the increased presence of foreign troops should allow Nato to gradually begin transferring security responsibility to local forces.
The 110,000-strong Nato-led force already includes about 38,000 non-US troops. However, an increase in casualties and a decline in public support for the military campaign has discouraged alliance members from sending more.
Britain, Georgia, Poland and Slovakia have promised to send an additional 2,250 troops to Afghanistan but the Netherlands and Canada plan to withdraw almost 5,000 between them in 2010 and 2011.
British prime minister Gordon Brown yesterday put pressure on Germany and France to boost their numbers and serve alongside British and American forces: “I call on all our allies to unite behind President Obama’s strategy.”
Britain will continue to play its full part in persuading other countries to offer troops to the Afghanistan campaign,” he told MPs in the House of Commons. Mr Brown indicated that the withdrawal of British troops would not begin until 2011 at the earliest, and not before Afghan forces could take over security duties themselves.
Mr Rasmussen said Nato could begin to transfer security responsibility to Afghan forces next year in 10 to 15 areas, as part of a gradual transition to local leadership. While the Obama plan calls for US troop levels to be scaled back in 2011 when local leadership takes over, Mr Rasmussen said this was not an exit strategy. The transfer could only happen if certain conditions were met, he said.
“We will not leave unless we feel sure the Afghan security forces can actually take on responsibility for that specific district or province.” Afghanistan has 34 provinces and several hundred districts.
Although Nato will increase its efforts to train the Afghan army and police to allow them take over security duties, the process is expected to take years.
Welcoming President Obama’s decision, Mr Brown said that a “very substantial” number of the extra American forces will serve alongside the British contingent that had suffered heavy losses in Helmand province.
“There is no question of us withdrawing our British troops until the point where we are sure Afghans can take over security control themselves. We will continue to have our troops until that point,” said Mr Brown.
Demanding clarity on when Mr Brown intends to start British withdrawal, Conservative Party leader David Cameron accused the prime minister of sending out “mixed messages”.
Referring to Mr Obama’s timetable for bringing home the first of his forces in July 2011, Mr Cameron said the indications from London at the weekend were that the first British soldiers could be brought back at the end of next year.
Forty-three countries are due to be represented at an international summit on Afghanistan in London on January 28th. Sources last night indicated that Mr Brown is considering inviting leaders from countries near Afghanistan, including Iran, Pakistan and India.