Washington – President Bush prodded NATO allies Thursday for more help in Afghanistan, where U.S. commanders are bracing for a spring offensive by the Taliban.
At least three dozen countries have contributed troops to the 36,000-member NATO force, but some operate under restrictions that effectively prevent combat. The United States has about 27,000 troops in Afghanistan, including 15,000 under NATO command.
Administration officials and outside experts have become increasingly concerned about the Taliban’s resurgence and the fragility of the U.S.-backed Afghan government.
Five years after American troops ousted the extremist Taliban regime and its al-Qaeda allies after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Afghanistan is struggling against Islamic extremists, corruption, poverty, regional warlords and a burgeoning opium trade.
“For NATO to succeed, allies must be sure that we fill the security gaps,” Bush said Thursday in a speech to the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative research center. “Allies must lift restrictions on the forces they do provide.”
Analysts say that British, Danish and Canadian troops are sharing the burden with American soldiers in Afghanistan. Estonia, Poland and Romania also have helped. Most of the criticism is directed at France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Turkey.
Bush’s call for more help from NATO was one of a series of steps intended to shore up the Afghan government before it loses all credibility.
The president said that the United States would provide $11.6 billion in economic aid over the next two years and 3,200 more troops for the battle zone.
