NATO summit fails to garner pledges on Afghan trainers (Roundup)

Jun 11, 2010, 13:55 GMT

Brussels - NATO and its allies on Friday vowed to dig deep in the search for more troops to help train Afghanistan's security forces - but failed to come up with specific pledges to fill the long-standing gaps in their mission.

NATO states are desperate to start withdrawing their troops from the bloody conflict, but agree that they can only do so once the Afghan security forces are capable of fighting insurgents themselves.

NATO's training mission is still some 20 per cent under strength.

'We welcomed the significant improvement in the capability of the Afghan National Security Forces, and are committed to providing the trainers needed to support that steady progress,' ministers said in a joint declaration.

But diplomats said that the ministers did not come up with fresh offers, sticking to more general declarations of support.

'Today we had the political discussion. Now our military authorities will renew their requests and initiate contacts with individual allies and partners: I am confident that we will see pledges in the coming weeks and months,' NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.

NATO's training mission is some 450 men short of the full complement of 2,300 needed to bring the Afghan forces up to strength, Rasmussen said.

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) itself numbers some 120,000 soldiers from 28 NATO states and 18 allies.

But troops from states such as Germany (4,300) and Italy (3,300) face strict legal limits on where they can go and what they can do, putting pressure on such countries to do more in training the Afghan forces instead.

'We understand that some countries have difficulties getting combat troops to Afghanistan for political or even constitutional reasons. But there is no reason why any country should not be sending more trainers,' British Defence Minister Liam Fox said.

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates agreed, saying, 'for those countries which do not have a large combat presence, providing trainers is another way to serve.'

Britain and the US have the largest combat forces in Afghanistan, and have taken heavy casualties in the south of the country. The US has sent 800 marines to provide training for Afghan soldiers, but those are only set to do the task 'until the Europeans arrive this fall,' Gates said.

But diplomats warned that the same constraints which stopped states such as Germany sending troops into combat could limit their ability to send trainers who would go in with Afghan troops.

NATO losses rose sharply after a major operation around the insurgent stronghold of Marjah in Helmand in the spring. The military mission went well, but diplomats say that Afghan attempts to guarantee political stability in the wake of the battle are only meeting with patchy success.

'Operations across Afghanistan are making measured progress ... Significant challenges remain, and success is not yet assured, but we are encouraged by recent results,' ministers said guardedly.

Despite the challenges, ministers said that they hoped to be able to pacify some parts of Afghanistan enough to be able to hand the lead role in security to Afghan forces by the end of the year.

'My expectation and my hope is that by the end of the year we will be able to demonstrate that we have the right strategy and that we are making progress,' Gates said.

The fight will be 'long and difficult,' but NATO has 'regained the initiative' with its new strategy, he said.

NATO's efforts in Afghanistan received a boost on Friday as the alliance announced that it had, for the first time, sent a train-load of food and building materials through Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to Afghanistan.

NATO is keen to diversify its supply routes into the country as the main land route north from Pakistan comes under increasing attack.

'Plans are already under way for follow-on shipments in the months ahead,' NATO said in a statement.