NATO to double troop numbers in south Afghanistan

NATO will double the number of troops in southern Afghanistan when it takes over security from US forces there next month in an attempt to quash the worst rebel violence since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, the force’s commander said today.

But Lieutenant General David Richards promised that the incoming force would be more “people-friendly” in an effort to win the support of the local population amid rising resentment toward the US-led coalition over its aggressive tactics.