Rumsfeld pledges continuing Afghanistan presence

US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has said that the US would maintain a forceful military presence in Afghanistan despite pressure to free forces stretched by the insurgency in Iraq.

European allies rejected his suggestion that NATO take on counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan.

“US forces will of course continue to play a strong role,” Rumsfeld said after a meeting of NATO defence ministers yesterday.

Rumsfeld said he was satisfied with plans by NATO allies to expand its 11,000-strong Afghan peacekeeping mission next year with more European and Canadian troops, a move that could free thousands of US soldiers.

But Germany and France made clear that they would not allow the NATO force to become embroiled in offensive combat, leaving the separate, US-dominated coalition force of 19,000 to pursue the counterinsurgency against Taliban and al Qaida holdouts.

They also opposed talk of merging the two operations, although NATO officials said they expected agreement on a proposal to bring the two missions under a single commander.

Rumsfeld spoke amid speculation that the US is planning major reductions of its 18,000-strong contingent in Afghanistan as NATO expands.

The New York Times and The Washington Post reported in today’s editions that the Bush administration was considering cutting troop strength there by as much as 20% by early 2006.

Rumsfeld declined to discuss specifics. “If and when there’s any decision to decrease forces, I will announce it,” he said tersely.

NATO diplomats have suggested that the US could reduce its contribution to multinational military operations in Afghanistan from over half to about a quarter. Rumsfeld on Tuesday suggested that NATO will eventually be able to take over counterterrorism operations there.

“Over time it would be nice if NATO would develop counterterrorist capabilities, which don’t exist at the current time,” he said. “That probably will be the last piece they take.”

He acknowledged it will be a difficult task and did not suggest a timetable. Germany, France and other allies have sent combat forces to serve with the US-led mission known as Operation Enduring Freedom, since it was launched to topple the Taliban regime after the September 11 attacks.

But Paris and Berlin do not want NATO’s International Security Assistance Force running combat operations against Taliban insurgents. They fear that would undermine NATO’s peacekeeping role, and make its soldiers more likely to face attack.

“I would not like to expose our soldiers to an additional risk by joining these two mandates together,” German Defence Minister Peter Struck said in a radio interview.

The issue has been sensitive in Germany, where the Social Democratic government faces parliamentary elections on Sunday.

Britain, which takes overall command of the NATO mission in May, said the force must intensify action against Afghanistan’s drugs barons.

“They have to be defeated, they have to be destroyed,” Defence Minister John Reid said. “We have to be prepared to use military means to combat insurgency or tackle the narcotics trade.”

Spain’s Socialist government – which withdrew forces from Iraq after winning elections last year – also cautioned against linking NATO’s peacekeepers with the combat operation.

“They should co-ordinate their forces, but I’m not in favour of fusing the two missions,” Defence Minister Jose Bono said.

Despite the differences, NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said allies were close to an agreement to bring the two forces under a single NATO commander.

“There is a shared view among NATO defence ministers that we need a greater synergy between the two missions,” de Hoop Scheffer told reporters.

Rumsfeld denied the allies were divided over the issue.

Under NATO’s planned expansion in Afghanistan next year, the alliance will take over peacekeeping in the southern sector with Britain taking a lead role, backed by Canada and the Netherlands.

US troops will retain responsibility for the east of the country – considered the most dangerous region – under NATO command. Germany will take a lead role in the north and Italy in the west.

International forces have faced criticism for not doing more to tackle the booming Afghan drug trade. The UN estimates Afghanistan produces 87% of the world’s supply of both opium and its derivative, heroin.