Afghanistan’s President, Hamid Karzai, is expected to propose a radical expansion of the Afghan army and call for his troops to take over security responsibilities in Kabul from Nato, according to officials at the alliance’s summit in Bucharest, Romania.
Under the Karzai proposal the army would eventually expand its strength from 55 000 to 120 000, well above the ceiling of 86 000 agreed earlier this year with the Afghan government’s international backers.
The proposal will be discussed by Nato leaders at a meeting on Afghanistan that is also due to hammer out a new mission statement for the 47 000-strong alliance force there. A larger role for the Afghan army will be portrayed as a bright spot for the summit.
The alliance is split over expanding its membership and is at odds over troop contributions in Afghanistan, where the United States, Britain and Canada feel they are bearing a disproportionate weight.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who arrived in Bucharest earlier in the week, said he would seek clarification from the French. ”What I want is the process of burden-sharing to be more effective,” the prime minister told journalists travelling with him.
According to sources familiar with the draft mission statement it will emphasise the need for a shared long-term commitment in Afghanistan. It will also call for: Afghan troops to take the lead wherever possible in fighting the Taliban and in providing security; greater coordination between the civilian and military arms of the international presence in Afghanistan and pressure on Afghanistan’s neighbours to contribute more to pacification.
Pakistan is seen as its most troubling neighbour, with Taliban forces using the territory as a haven from which to mount attacks. — Â