Nato 'to ease Afghan troop rules'
By Sam Mackintosh,WNS Europe Bureau Chief
LONDON - Nato leaders at a summit in Latvia have agreed to relax restrictions on how their troops are used in Afghanistan. More than 75% of the 32,000-strong force in Afghanistan will soon be allowed to be deployed anywhere in the country, alliance officials said. Earlier, US President George W Bush berated Nato members, calling on them to accept "difficult assignments". The summit is to continue on Wednesday with discussion of military requests for more troops to fight insurgents. The two-day summit, the first Nato meeting on in an ex-Soviet state, will conclude after discussions about Nato's role in the 21st Century.
The alliance leaders will also discuss ways to enhance Nato's partnership activities, including efforts to draw countries like Japan and Australia more closely into alliance activities. There were tentative promises of more troops for Afghanistan after a two-hour working dinner on Tuesday evening devoted entirely to the issue. An alliance spokesman told the Reuters news agency that three countries had agreed to send more troops, with several more agreeing to increase funding for Afghanistan. Commanders have requested 2,500 extra troops for the battle in southern Afghanistan. The dinner ended with agreement from France, Germany, Italy and Spain that their troops in Afghanistan could be sent to any part of the country if the circumstances demanded it. Previously their troops have been restricted by agreements limiting the areas they could be sent to.
President Bush had called on Nato not to undermine the effort in Afghanistan. "For NATO to succeed, its commanders must have the resources and flexibility they need to do their jobs," he said. Nato Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer described the Afghan operation - Nato's first outside Europe - as "mission possible", and said that it might even be able to start pulling out from 2008.
posted by wnsworld @ 6:36 AM
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