Afghanistan set to dominate Nato meeting

Nato’s battle with the Taliban in southern Afghanistan and a possible extension of the alliance’s support for African peacekeepers in Darfur are set to dominate a meeting of allied defence ministers this week on Slovenia’s Adriatic coast.

US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is likely to back calls from Nato commanders for reluctant European nations to send more troops to southern Afghanistan where allied forces have been surprised by Taliban resistance.