Defense chief seeks allied aid in Afghanistan

The British defense secretary said military power is only part of the solution.

EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) — Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday pushed European allies for more troops to re-energize efforts in southern Afghanistan, where the Taliban insurgency has increased its attacks in the 18 months since NATO took command of the war.

Even as it struggles to find a way out of Iraq, the Bush administration is saddled with troubling signs in Afghanistan, where the government is weak, the insurgency is relentless and casualties are mounting.

Gates also must worry about sagging public support.

Opening two days of talks with allied defense and diplomatic officials, Gates hoped to stir discussion of forming an overarching strategy for Afghanistan that could be adopted by NATO government leaders at a summit next April.

It was not clear that all NATO members agree such a plan is even needed, and no firm decisions on a way forward were expected in Edinburgh.

British Defense Secretary Des Browne, in a statement released Thursday, said military power can only be part of the solution in Afghanistan.

“We must build on our hard won military gains and go further to help the people of Afghanistan to provide their own security, governance and economic development,” said Browne.

And while he did not provide specifics on the type of aid needed, he said, “We must give the Afghan authorities the support they need to deliver the kind of success that we all recognize is vital, not just for security in Afghanistan, but for security in the wider world.”

The Edinburgh talks marked the latest effort by Gates to inject a sense of urgency not only in the south, where the Taliban’s influence is strongest, but also on the broader challenge of strengthening the central government in Kabul and building an economy that does not revolve around the illicit drug trade.

Gates has cautioned since the beginning of his tenure at the Pentagon one year ago that the gains achieved in Afghanistan over the past six years are at risk of being lost, unless the United States and its NATO allies carry out comprehensive military, economic and diplomatic solutions.