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Nato's Afghan commitment in doubt
By Andrew North
BBC correspondent in Kabul
Kabul wants Nato to bring in the extra troops as soon as possible
There is confusion over whether Nato can meet its promised commitment of troops to Afghanistan.
The alliance has pledged 3,500 extra soldiers, to take its total to 10,000 in time for the presidential elections in October.
A Nato spokesman in Kabul says the commitment will be met.
But at Nato headquarters in Brussels, an official said the alliance was still looking for more soldiers to make up its expanded force.
Last year, the North Atlantic alliance said Afghanistan was its number one priority.
First details
But ever since it has struggled to match that promise with boots on the ground.
After much uncertainty, alliance members finally committed last month to providing the 3,500 extra troops required.
Now Nato has given the first detail of where they are coming from and when they will arrive, in September.
Italian and Spanish soldiers will make up the bulk.
But its Brussels spokesman said the 3,500 figure had not been met.
Embarrassment
In Kabul, the peacekeeping force's spokesman, Commander Chris Henderson, insisted Nato would meet its commitments.
But he admitted he could not give a figure for the number of extra troops coming.
"I don't know yet at the moment," he said.
"This was announced last night in Brussels. The details of it take some time to filter down the chain of command, so I just can't tell you how many the total number will be."
It is another embarrassment for Nato, with a little over two months to go before polling day and after President Hamid Karzai pleaded with the alliance to bring in the extra troops it promised as quickly as possible.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3923097.stm
By Andrew North
BBC correspondent in Kabul
Kabul wants Nato to bring in the extra troops as soon as possible
There is confusion over whether Nato can meet its promised commitment of troops to Afghanistan.
The alliance has pledged 3,500 extra soldiers, to take its total to 10,000 in time for the presidential elections in October.
A Nato spokesman in Kabul says the commitment will be met.
But at Nato headquarters in Brussels, an official said the alliance was still looking for more soldiers to make up its expanded force.
Last year, the North Atlantic alliance said Afghanistan was its number one priority.
First details
But ever since it has struggled to match that promise with boots on the ground.
After much uncertainty, alliance members finally committed last month to providing the 3,500 extra troops required.
Now Nato has given the first detail of where they are coming from and when they will arrive, in September.
Italian and Spanish soldiers will make up the bulk.
But its Brussels spokesman said the 3,500 figure had not been met.
Embarrassment
In Kabul, the peacekeeping force's spokesman, Commander Chris Henderson, insisted Nato would meet its commitments.
But he admitted he could not give a figure for the number of extra troops coming.
"I don't know yet at the moment," he said.
"This was announced last night in Brussels. The details of it take some time to filter down the chain of command, so I just can't tell you how many the total number will be."
It is another embarrassment for Nato, with a little over two months to go before polling day and after President Hamid Karzai pleaded with the alliance to bring in the extra troops it promised as quickly as possible.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3923097.stm
