NATO boosts Afghan troops, names leader

NATO leaders pledged thousands more troops for their Afghan mission Saturday and named the organisation's next leader, as violent anti-war demonstrations raged outside the summit.

Britain, Spain and Italy said they would send hundreds of extra troops each to secure Afghanistan's key August presidential election, adding up to what the White House said was a total of "up to 5,000" personnel.

The deal was a victory for new US President Barack Obama, who came to his first NATO summit to promote his new Afghan strategy and warn his allies that Europe would have to shoulder more of the war-fighting burden.

"I am pleased that our NATO allies pledged their strong and unanimous support for our new strategy," Obama told reporters.

France and Germany were not among the countries who made major new troop commitments, but Obama nevertheless praised President Nicolas Sarkozy and Chancellor Angela Merkel as the joint hosts of the 60th anniversary summit.

"This summit and this alliance have delivered," outgoing NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer told reporters at the end of the gathering in Strasbourg.

In addition to boosting coalition force numbers, he said, various member states have agreed to provide more training teams for Afghan forces and to set aside more funding for the Afghan army.

Several delegations disclosed late Saturday that at least 19 NATO nations stepped forward to offer extra equipment and personnel -- both soldiers and civilian or military instructors -- for the Afghanistan mission.

However, the numbers involved fall well short of the 21,000 extra US soldiers that Washington is beginning to put in Afghanistan, on top of the 38,000 Americans now there -- and experts asked whether it would be enough to hold ground taken from Taliban insurgents.

Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said Spain would send 450 troops, Britain's Gordon Brown promised "hundreds" and Silvio Berlusconi said Italy's contingent would increase to "around 3,000" from around 2,300 now.

At least half a dozen helicopters were pledged, along with three transport aircraft, medical teams and a field hospital. Belgium offered two F-16 fighters.

Regarding aid funding, more than 450 million euros 607 million dollars was promised, officials said, including 200 million euros from Britain, nearly 130 million dollars from Spain by 2012, and 50 million euros from Germany.

The funds are mainly go to preparations for Afghan elections in August, development projects, training the Afghan national army as it grows to 134,000 troops by 2010, and promoting the rule of law.

In another summit development, NATO confirmed that Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen will be the its next secretary general, following two tense days of efforts to persuade Turkey not to veto his nomination.

"Everyone is fully convinced that Anders Fogh Rasmussen is the best choice for the alliance," Scheffer said, while admitting that there had been long discussions on the issue. "An agreement was found."

Rasmussen said he was deeply honoured to be the first Dane to lead the transatlantic alliance and to have been named at the 60th anniversary summit. He will take over from Scheffer on August 1.

The Danish leader had long been seen as the favourite for the job, but his nomination was called into question when Turkey -- which could have vetoed the decision -- raised objections.

Six demonstrators and four police were injured in the day's unrest, the French interior minister said.





A sea lion swims near the Palomino islands. REUTERS/Enrique Castro-Mendivil