Quite a way to go for NATO in Afstan

Some of the things that need to be done:

Canadian Gen. Ray Henault, NATO's top [bureaucratic] soldier [this is the top commanding soldier], says recent efforts to overcome shortfalls in the alliance's force in Afghanistan have made only limited progress, holding back efforts to improve security in the country.

"We have seen modest progress on force generation," said Henault, chairman of NATO's military committee, after talks with chiefs of staff from the 26 allied countries.

"There are still shortfalls, and we discussed the strategic risks and consequences associated with continued under-resourcing of the minimum military requirement," he said in a statement issued Wednesday.

Henault issued the comments after a serious of meetings designed to drum up reinforcements for NATO's force of 41,000 in Afghanistan which is facing the most violent year since the U.S.-led invasion to topple the Taliban in 2001.

Although the force has grown by 8,500 over the past year, NATO commanders on the ground say they need more helicopters, planes and mobile units to step up the fight against the Taliban [emphasis added].

"Given the deployed resources, we remain satisfied in the main with the pace and progress," Henault said. "With more, we could do more and do it faster."

Concern over casualties, costs and commitments elsewhere have made some allies reluctant to send more troops, particularly to the southern and eastern areas where most of the recent fighting has been centred.

Canada, the United States, and other countries such as Britain and the Netherlands have been pressing their allies to step up efforts during meetings of ministers and military brass in recent weeks.

NATO commanders are also seeking to persuade allies to send more teams of instructors to train the Afghan army so that it can eventually start to take over front-line security from the international forces [emphasis added].

"Fielding more training and liaison teams for the Afghan National Army remains a key priority," Henault said, adding that such teams can produce "a large payoff for a relatively small investment."

Recent offers from NATO governments should take the number of embedded training teams to a number in the "low-to mid-30s," compared with 26 last month, NATO spokesman James Appathurai said.

However the alliance's target is 46 and growing, as more Afghan army units are put together [emphasis added].

Appathurai declined to say which countries had made new offers, but Germany and France have indicated they would both be sending more instructors.

Afghan units in eastern Afghanistan have recently taken the lead in some operations against the Taliban, with U.S. support [emphasis added]. However, NATO commanders estimate it would take up to 10 years before the Afghans could stand alone.

As for the French:

France on Thursday denied a report that it is setting aside roughly 1,000 troops for possible deployment in Afghanistan, a move that would be a boon to the United States, which wants NATO countries to do more there.

Weekly newspaper Le Canard Enchaine reported on Wednesday that President Nicolas Sarkozy had asked the head of the armed forces to keep a batallion of about 1,000 men at NATO's disposal so that they could be dispatched to Afghanistan if needed.

Asked about the report, Defense Ministry spokesman Laurent Teisseire said France had a batallion in NATO's strategic reserve, and there had been no change regarding its status.

"There is no evolution," he told a weekly news conference.

"I confirm that there is indeed something called the strategic reserve and that France contributes a batallion to this strategic reserve," he added.

France has roughly 1,000 troops in Afghanistan, where it is part of the NATO-led International Security and Assistance Force. Paris said in June that around 150 extra soldiers would be sent to train Afghan forces, and a further 50 such troops have been pledged since then...

And the Germans:

Germany's lower house of parliament voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to renew its option to participate in U.S. counter-terrorist operations in Afghanistan, despite widespread public opposition.

The Bundestag said there were 413 votes in favor, 145 against and 15 abstentions.

Although no German special forces have taken part in such activities for two years, opinion polls show the vast majority of Germans oppose staying on the list of potential participants.

For months left-wing lawmakers have called for an end to German involvement in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), the official name for the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan to topple its Taliban government after the attacks of September 11, 2001.

Since then, OEF has been expanded to cover the broader fight against terrorism and not only special combat operations in Afghanistan, where NATO troops are struggling to pacify an increasingly resilient Taliban insurgency.

Germany has some 3,000 troops in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led peacekeeping [?!?] operation that is separate from the OEF mandate, which allows the deployment of up to 100 special forces in Afghanistan and up to 1,400 to monitor the Horn of Africa [the Africa part refers mainly to the German Navy--more here].

The decision will come as a relief to the United States. For months, U.S. officials have been meeting with German officials and lawmakers to try to persuade them that Germany should not break ranks with its Western allies...

Update: And as for the Brits (h/t to dave in "Comments"):

How Royal Anglians killed 1,000 Taliban