EUROPEAN ALLIES of the US have promised to boost the Nato-led military campaign in Afghanistan but their commitment to send thousands of extra troops into battle fell short of American expectations.
The pledge to send new troops from more than 20 Nato members comes ahead of a meeting in Brussels today at which alliance foreign ministers will discuss their response to US president Barack Obama’s decision to deploy 30,000 additional US troops.
US secretary of state Hillary Clinton will brief the Nato ministers today on the new US effort to win back the initiative from Taliban insurgents.
The ministers will also meet EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, Afghan foreign minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta and UN special representative Kai Eide.
Arriving in Brussels, US special envoy Richard Holbrooke accepted the war was unpopular but he predicted support from America’s Nato allies in the new phase of the campaign.
“I understand that the war is unpopular,” said Mr Holbrooke, US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. “It’s a long way off, and there’s the legacy of Iraq and Vietnam.” However, Mr Holbrooke said the US had been “very gratified” by the strong support of its European allies for the new Obama policy.
The Afghan war has come under mounting pressure due to an increase in casualties, declining public support and a resurgent Taliban. The western-backed Afghan government has a serious credibility problem due to rampant corruption and election fraud.
The new US strategy is designed to strengthen allied battle forces while training local security forces in anticipation of a gradual hand-over to the Afghan authorities.
As the US gears up to expand its operations, Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen is still seeking more support from key members of the alliance. France and Germany have already stopped short of sending additional troops, saying they will wait until a summit in London next month before making commitments.
Mr Rasmussen said he expected non-US members of the alliance to provide at least 5,000 additional troops and possibly a few thousand more, a tally that chimed with a target of up to 7,000 additional troops that was set out by US defence secretary Robert Gates.
Taken with the new US deployments, new troops from the allies would increase the total presence of foreign troops in Afghanistan to about 140,000.
Nato was able to report progress yesterday, but remained cautious. “There are well over 20 countries that are indicating or have already indicated that they intend to increase their troop numbers in Afghanistan,” spokesman James Appathurai said.
“Based on what we have heard in the last 24 hours . . . we are beyond the 5,000 figure,” he told reporters.
However, there were “significant shortfalls” of army and police trainers. “Trainers are not that easy to find and the secretary-general will continue to push very hard to find not only the trainers but equipment and money,” Mr Appathurai said.
