UK: NATO to offer 5,000 troops to Afghanistan

[unhappycamper]

UK: NATO to offer 5,000 troops to Afghanistan
By David Stringer – The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Nov 25, 2009 13:47:12 EST

LONDON — British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said today that several NATO nations will jointly offer 5,000 more troops for Afghanistan, as London and Washington push allies to take on a greater share of the war burden.

Brown wrote to NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen to confirm that many of 10 other nations consulted by British officials in recent weeks have pledged to send reinforcements.

“Following these meetings and contacts, I am now optimistic that a majority of these countries will indeed make available increased numbers of troops, and more police trainers and civilian support,” Brown wrote in his letter.

So far, Slovakia has offered 250 extra soldiers, Georgia has pledged between 700 and 1,000 soldiers, and South Korea has said it would send “several hundred” to protect its reconstruction teams.

The United States, Britain, Canada and the Netherlands have long grumbled that many NATO partners — chiefly Germany and France — have failed to take on a fair share of combat duties. The U.S. has pressed NATO and other allies for between 5,000 and 7,000 additional non-U.S. troops.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/11/ap_nato_troops_112409/



unhappycamper comment: I wonder who's paying for those 5,000 soldiers to go into the meat grinder?

[Ghost Dog]

1. Slovakia became a member of NATO on March 29, 2004,

but neither Georgia, of course, nor South Korea are members.

NATO's mission in Afghanistan is peace-keeping and reconstruction work in support of the Afghan Government, not war-making.

Still, I suppose that with enough money on or under the table, something like these numbers could be drummed up for 'rearguard' duty.

[doc03]

2. So McChrystal and Cheney are getting what they want 40,000

troops 35,000 Americans plus 5,000 from NATO. I don't know how the Republicans can find fault with that but I am sure they will. Cheney will say he wasted weeks making a decision if it fails and if it works out OK he will take credit for that.