Afstan: No much NATO help/US coming through

1) NATO Needs More Troops for Afghanistan [good on the Danes]

Allied officials said Craddock [NATO's new top commander, U.S. Gen. John Craddock] was seeking around 1,500 extra combat troops in addition to reinforcements recently announced by the United States and Britain, which supply more than half the soldiers in the force.

However, several European nations have resisted pressure to send more units, especially to the provinces in the south and east. In particular, the reluctance of France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Turkey to provide more combat troops, has caused frustration among nations on the front lines.

"More countries should take responsibility," said Danish Defense Minister Soeren Gade. "If we do not send more soldiers to Afghanistan there is a risk that we may fail."

Denmark has 400 troops mostly serving in the dangerous south [emphasis added] alongside the U.S., Britain, Canada, the Netherlands, Romania, Estonia, and non-NATO member Australia.

A senior U.S. defense official accompanying Defense Secretary Robert Gates to the meeting said the NATO-led force must launch its own offensive this spring to pre-empt an attack by the Taliban, adding the push could be key to defeating the rebels...

2) NATO Defense Ministers Resist US Pressure to Send More Troops to Afghanistan [great attitude from the German Defence Minister]

But several European allies say there is too much emphasis on a military solution.

German Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung, whose country approved the deployment of six Tornado surveillance aircraft, said Russians had 100,000 troops in Afghanistan, and they did not win [emphasis added]...

3) No more troops to Afghanistan: Spain [look who's highlighting this]

Spanish Defence Minister Jose Antonio Alonso said on Thursday that his country would maintain the size of its force in Afghanistan and would not send more troops there...

He said the 690 troops Spain currently has stationed in Afghanistan was sufficient...

Via Army.ca Afstan news thread, "The Sandbox and Areas Report".

Update: US to maintain increased troop level:

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE (Germany):The Pentagon plans to extend its build up of several thousand combat troops in Afghanistan, initially announced as lasting until late spring, well into next year, a senior US military official said...

The extension of the US build-up means American troop levels in Afghanistan, which increased this month to about 26,000 - the highest of the war - will remain roughly the same until at least spring 2008. Until now, a level of 22,000 to 23,000 had prevailed through much of last year.

The decision, expected to be announced in Washington as early as next week, entails sending an Army combat brigade to replace the 3rd Brigade of the 10th Mountain Division when it leaves this spring [that's in addition to the 82nd Airborne brigade that has arrived]...

Neither today's Globe or Ottawa Citizen covered this; the Ottawa Sun had a news brief. Interesting what our papers consider worth reporting.