LONDON // Nato is assessing a request by military chiefs wanting a few thousand more troops from the alliance to be deployed in Afghanistan to help combat insurgents, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday.
The request for more troops reflects the West’s alarm about the worsening security situation in Afghanistan, territorial gains by Taliban militants and military and civilian casualties.
The troops were needed to train local forces, Mr Stoltenberg said after meeting British prime minister Theresa May.
“We have received a request from our military authorities to increase our military presence in Afghanistan with a few thousand troops,” he said.
A decision on the scale and scope of the mission will be made within weeks, he said.
“But this is not about returning back to a combat operation in Afghanistan.
“It will be a train, assist and advise operation, because I strongly believe that the best answer we have against terrorism, the best weapon we have against terrorism, is to train local forces against terrorism and to stave ISIL off.”
Nato already has some 13,450 troops in Afghanistan, including about 6,900 US military personnel, who are training the Afghan armed forces to eventually take over the country’s defence and security and Mr Stoltenberg stressed that any new arrivals would not be in a combat role.
The issue will be high on the agenda at the Nato annual summit in Brussels on May 25.
“I strongly believe that the best answer we have to terrorism, the best weapon against terrorism, is to train local forces to fight terrorism, to stabilise their own country,” Mr Stoltenberg said.
* Reuters and Agence France-Presse
