Bush urges allies to send more troops to Afghanistan

WASHINGTON - With the expectation that Islamic militants are preparing to mount a major offensive this spring, President Bush on called on NATO allies to send more troops to Afghanistan and allow their soldiers to take greater responsibility for fighting the Taliban.

The president said Thursday that the U.S. force in Afghanistan - which is being increased to 27,000, its highest level since 2001 - would remain in that strength for the foreseeable future. He also pledged $11.8 billion in economic aid to Afghanistan over the next two years.

Speaking at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative Washington think tank, Bush said much progress has

been made since the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan but that the fledgling democratic government continues to struggle against Islamic insurgents financed by a booming drug trade.

He called on allies from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to become more involved in keeping Afghanistan from roiling further into chaos, saying that the mountainous region along the border of Pakistan is “wilder than the wild West.”

“When our commanders on the ground say to our respective countries, `We need additional help,' our NATO countries must provide it,” Bush said. “As well, allies must lift restrictions on the forces they do provide so NATO commanders have the flexibility they need to defeat the enemy wherever the enemy may make its stand.”

The U.S. is increasing its troop level by 3,200, initially by extending the stay of the 3rd Brigade of the 10th Mountain Division. That unit will be replaced by another at the end of the extension, allowing U.S. troop levels to remain at 27,000, Bush said.

The U.S. troops are in addition to the 35,000 troops that nation-members of NATO have already committed. But U.S. military and civilian officials have complained that many of those NATO troops are limited by strict rules of engagement set by their home countries. While the president didn't name the countries, the criticism appeared to be directed at France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Turkey, all countries that have refused to send troops to some of the most volatile areas of Afghanistan.