Gates: Afghan shortfalls remain, no more U.S. troops
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The Pentagon does not plan to send more U.S. troops to Afghanistan beyond the additional Marines promised this week despite a lingering shortfall in trainers for the Afghan forces, Defense Secretary Robert Gates told National Public Radio in an interview aired on Thursday.
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U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan have peaked this year at about 26,000, as officials tried to push NATO countries to take on more security responsibility, while keeping enough U.S. forces there to counter the stubborn insurgency.
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PORTOROZ, Slovenia  - NATO states will probably   offer more troops and equipment to meet shortfalls in   Afghanistan when their defense ministers meet on Thursday, but   holes will remain, a U.S. government official said on   Wednesday.
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KABUL, Afghanistan  - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Afghanistan on Sunday and said security and development were improving despite rising Taliban violence, but he was concerned about preserving those gains.
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NATO states will probably  offer more troops and equipment to meet shortfalls in  Afghanistan when their defense ministers meet on Thursday, but  holes will remain, a U.S. government official said on  Wednesday.
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KABUL, Afghanistan -- The United States could cut its forces in Afghanistan next summer if Taliban militants accept an amnesty to be drawn up by President Hamid Karzai and neighboring Pakistan, the senior US commander in Kabul said yesterday.
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Hard-fought gains by NATO troops this year could be lost in coming months if Afghan forces fail to hold ground seized from the Taliban, the NATO commander in Afghanistan said in an interview broadcast on Thursday.
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MUNICH, Germany  - Defense Secretary Robert Gates made a direct appeal to Europeans on Sunday to support the war in Afghanistan, warning that violence and terrorism could surge worldwide if NATO was defeated there.
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Defense Secretary Robert Gates criticized NATO allies on Monday for failing to send enough troops and equipment to Afghanistan, setting the stage for tense discussions in the alliance later this week.
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Defense Secretary Robert Gates has asked NATO allies and colleagues for more effort in Afghanistan, but it is too early to tell whether his lobbying will pay off.
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Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates backed away slightly yesterday from his Friday statement that U.S. troop levels in Iraq could go as low as 100,000 by the end of next year, and he signaled that the Bush administration would go into a wait-and-see mode on Iraq for another six months.
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The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan today declined to say whether more American troops will be needed to confront increasing insurgent and terrorist attacks in the country.
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U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan believe their procedures for avoiding unintended casualties are sufficient despite a series of civilian deaths in recent weeks, a U.S. commander said on Tuesday.
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The failure of NATO allies to meet a shortfall in troops needed to end the Taliban insurgency will not sink the effort, which should &quot;do better this year,&quot; the US ambassador here told AFP this week.
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The Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan is unlikely to stage a spring offensive in the volatile eastern region bordering Pakistan, the commander of U.S. forces in that area said Wednesday.
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Hard-fought gains by NATO troops this year could be lost in coming months if Afghan forces fail to hold ground seized from the Taliban, the NATO commander in Afghanistan said in an interview broadcast on Friday.
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Defense Secretary Robert Gates agreed to delay a drawdown of US troop levels in Europe, the Pentagon said Wednesday, following requests from commanders to maintain its military personnel levels there at around 40,000.