NATO Seeks More Forces To Avoid Afghan Stalemate

France's Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner (L) sits next to his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the start of a NATO-Georgia commission during a NATO foreign ministers meeting at Alliance headquarters in Brussels, December 3, 2008. (Yves Herman/Reuters)

From Yahoo News/Reuters:

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – NATO needs more troops in Afghanistan to be able to hold territory and avoid a stalemate in its battle against Islamist militants, NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said on Wednesday.

"It's crystal clear that we need more forces in Afghanistan," he said when asked at a news conference if he expected calls on European countries to supply more troops when U.S. President-elect Barack Obama takes office in January.

"The classic counter-insurgency tactics ... require more forces in Afghanistan, simply to be able to hold territory to start with development and reconstruction," De Hoop Scheffer said at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels.

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My Comment: Nato is always meeting and talking. Everyone agrees on what needs to be done .... but to put an agreement into action is always frustratingly slow.