NATO Tells Allies To Commit To Long Afghan Struggle

 the 28 NATO foreign ministers on the U.S. President Barack Obama announced 30.000 more troops for Afghanistan, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the conflict with the Taliban required a "true team effort."

"Of course there are no silver bullets, no magic solutions. It will still take more time, more commitment and more patience to reach our shared goal," he said after a one-on-one meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Since Obama made his announcement, NATO says more than 20 countries have put forward plans to send extra forces, but the total commitment may still fall short of the 10.000 extra troops and trainers that Pentagon officials had originally hoped for.

Rasmussen said on Thursday he expected U.S. Thurs allies provide at least 5.000 extra troops and probably a few thousand more - but the commitments will take time to come through.

The extra troops will increase total foreign forces to about 140.000 - a significant effort Thurs retake the initiative against the Taliban after more than eight years of conflict.

However, the Netherlands and Canada plan to withdraw combat forces of 2.100 and 2.800 in 2010 and 2011, reflecting public unease with the war, while key allies France and Germany appear willing to send more trainers than combat troops.

Even with the extra troops, the US-and NATO-led alliance faces a struggle Thurs coordinate its efforts and Regain the upper hand against an Insurgency Strengthened that much over the past year, Expanding into previously stable regions of Afghanistan.

NATO Tells Allies To Commit To Long Afghan Struggle