April 14, 2007	Saturday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 25, 1428

QUEBEC CITY, April 13: Nato commanders have asked for 3,400 additional police and Army trainers for Afghanistan, a need the United States wants European allies to fill, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Thursday.

“Nato has asked for about 3,400 training positions, and quite frankly we’re having trouble,” Gates said after meeting with

defence ministers from countries with troops in Afghanistan’s volatile southern region.

Gates said the group, including ministers from Canada, Britain, Australia and other countries, talked about approaching European allies that do not have troops engaged in combat in Afghanistan to fill the training requirement.

“You have nations that are not willing to put combat troops in. ... Those who are not willing to do that or able to do that may be able to pick up the slack in this area where those of us who are contributing most of the combat forces don't have additional forces available,” he said.

The request for more trainers came about six weeks ago, Gates said. About 60 per cent of the 3,400 trainers are needed for Afghanistan’s police and the rest for the army.

Those training needs come on top of other troop and equipment shortfalls previously identified by Nato commanders.

The United States and Britain have contributed most of the troops to the Afghan mission, and officials have expressed frustration that other nations have not committed additional forces following commanders’ call for more troops earlier this year.

Gates said the United States could provide some of the trainers, but he could not say how many. US forces are already stretched thin by the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, as highlighted on Wednesday by the Pentagon’s decision to extend the tours of all active-duty troops.

“We can fill some of (the training positions) but we don’t really have the ability right now to fill them all,” he said.—Reuters