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France to host Afghan donor conference

The Associated Press, March 18, 2008

PARIS : France will host an international donors conference for Afghanistan in June, the French foreign minister said Tuesday. Bernard Kouchner said he and other conference organizers plan to travel to Afghanistan before the event, which will be held June 12 or 17. Germany and France are working together to organize the conference, which Kouchner said was aimed at bringing in donations to rebuild Afghanistan and reaching "a common strategy" within the international community for Afghanistan. "We do not want it to be simply, 'Raise your hand and how much are you giving?' We are hoping for more," he said. He would not give a target sum for international donations at the conference. France is considering a greater military presence in Afghanistan , and President Nicolas Sarkozy is expected to make an announcement on new deployments at a NATO meeting early next month in Bucharest . France has 1,500 troops in and around Kabul , providing security and training Afghan troops as part of the NATO mission. Another 400 are in the separate, U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom, an effort to battle the Taliban and al-Qaida.

Afghanistan celebrates Farmers' Day

DFID - Department for International Development ( UK )
March 19, 2008

The Afghan new year starts on 20 March and the first day of the year is called Naw Ruz (The New Day). Jashni Dehqan (Festival of Farmers) is one of the events during Naw Ruz. The Festival is both a celebration of the start of a new planting season, and an encouragement for a good harvest in the year ahead. At Jashni Dehqan, farmers start cleaning irrigation channels in order to be ready for the new season - and, according to custom, they should plant the first tree sapling on their land at this time.

DFID: Supporting agriculture in Afghanistan

Agriculture is one of the major traditional sources of income for Afghanistan 's rural communities, with the majority of the country's rural dwellers involved in farming activities. Since agriculture is one of the sectors most affected by the last two decades of war, DFID Afghanistan is supporting this sector through a number of programmes, including agricultural research, the construction of irrigation channels, and support for farmers wishing to experiment with new crops and farming techniques. DFID’s overall Livelihoods Programme, worth nearly £150 million from 2006-2009, is designed to address immediate needs as well as promoting longer-term sustainable legal livelihoods in Afghanistan .

Looking ahead

With the dawning of Naw Ruz, people from throughout Afghanistan (and from different tribes) will be taking part in the annual Jashni Dehqan festivities. Farmers will come to Kabul , bringing their animals, decorated with flowers and clothes, for exhibition at the stadium. People from the north will arrive with their horses, the Sikh community will come with their drums, and Pashtun farmers will put on very acrobatic performances with their shovels. Thousands of people, including top government officials, usually attend the celebrations, which also include traditional competitions and entertainments, such as a kite-flying contest and a plough-driving competition. As Afghanistan looks forward to a new year, and a new planting season, DFID reiterates its commitment to reducing poverty for the country's people, including through its support for agriculture.  

Wed Mar 19, 6:55 PM ET

Canada 's Chief of Defence Staff Rick Hillier (L) and Defence Minister Peter Mackay inspect the NHL's Stanley Cup at Kandahar airbase March 19, 2008. The Stanley Cup, retired NHL hockey players and musicians are visiting Canadian troops on the base to boost morale. REUTERS/MCpl Bruno Turcotte/Department of National Defence/Handout ( AFGHANISTAN ).

Afghanistan ’s New Deal

New York Times , United States

By ZALMAY KHALILZAD

Published: March 20, 2008

BAN KI-MOON, secretary general of the United Nations, has appointed a seasoned Norwegian diplomat, Kai Eide, as his special representative to Afghanistan . Mr. Eide’s success will depend not only on his skills, but also on the friends of Afghanistan at the United Nations providing him with the proper mission, mandate and resources. The most important task for the new special representative is to form a trusting, collaborative relationship with President Hamid Karzai, enabling them to agree on Afghanistan ’s key challenges and on how aid money and military assistance can best be used. Today in New York , the Security Council is scheduled to extend the mandate of the United Nations’ Assistance Mission in Afghanistan for another year — the perfect chance to provide a clear set of priorities. This resolution rightly gives Mr. Eide the powers to directly coordinate all of the support provided by international donors. As things stand, more than 30 national embassies and bilateral development agencies, several United Nations agencies, four development banks and international financial institutions, and about 2,000 nongovernmental organizations and contractors are involved in rebuilding in Afghanistan . However, because of a lack of coordination among these donors, reconstruction resources often fail to arrive in a timely way after areas have been cleared of the enemy. Hundreds of projects are undertaken by allies and nongovernmental groups without coordination with the Afghan government, leading to cases of “ghost” schools or health clinics that are built but sit idle because they cannot be staffed or equipped.

Ministries are often hamstrung by having to comply with the varying procurement and accounting rules of dozens of foreign agencies, many of which are not consistent with Afghan law. This puts the international community at cross purposes with our goal of helping Afghanistan build coherent national systems for education, health and other services. There is only one way to end the confusion: the United Nations must take on the primary coordination role, and donors must show a willingness to be coordinated. The new resolution allows this to happen in a number of ways. First, Mr. Eide will need to oversee the coordination of civilian assistance with military efforts of the two military organizations operating in Afghanistan , NATO and the International Security Assistance Force. While it’s promising that those two organizations are meeting in Bucharest , Romania , next month to discuss better integrating their efforts, success against the insurgency will require efforts to ensure that military actions to secure areas from the enemy are coordinated with civilian efforts to establish good governance and economic development. Second, Mr. Eide must coordinate the efforts of the international community to support the Afghanistan Compact, a five-year plan agreed upon in 2006 by the government of Afghanistan , the United Nations and the international community that requires Afghan leaders to take steps in reform and institution-building in exchange for commitments of sustained support. The United Nations must have a stronger role in overseeing the increasing capacity of Afghan ministries and their anti-corruption efforts.

Third, the new United Nations special representative should help the leaders and people of key donor countries understand achievements and challenges. This is the only way that the friends of Afghanistan can fully appreciate the return on their investments. Last, Mr. Eide will have a mandate to engage Afghanistan ’s neighbors to help stabilize the country. In the aftermath of 9/11, regional powers came together to support the so-called Bonn agreement, which enabled Afghans to freely choose their own government. Reclaiming the spirit of Bonn must be a priority. The United States is fully behind the United Nations in the mission. Afghanistan is important not only because it was the origin of the attacks of 9/11 but also because it is the keystone of the geopolitical stability of Central and South Asia . Moreover, success in Afghanistan will be a major step in helping to create security, stability and progress in the broader Middle East , which is the defining challenge of our time. Zalmay Khalilzad is the United States permanent representative to the United Nations.

US VP Cheney visits Afghanistan

AFP - Stories
20/03/2008
KABUL

US Vice President Dick Cheney arrived in Afghanistan Thursday for talks with President Hamid Karzai to assess the fight against extremism here ahead of a summit of NATO partners in the battle. Cheney's visit, kept under wraps for security reasons, came as the country celebrated New Year and the arrival of spring amid tight security, with the Taliban-led insurgency traditionally picking up in the warmer weather. "The vice president will discuss the existing US-Afghan strategic partnership and how we'll continue our efforts to fight terrorism," Cheney spokeswoman Lee Anne McBride told reporters. She said Cheney would meet Karzai "to discuss progress in a democratic Afghanistan as well as the work that lies ahead, especially in the south." He was also likely to meet commanders of a US-led force and NATO-led alliance that together have nearly 70,000 soldiers here helping the government keep the extremist threat at bay as it tries to rebuild a war-shattered country. Cheney last came to Afghanistan in February 2007, when a suicide bomber struck outside a US base he was visiting, killing at least 20 people. The vice president's visit coincided with the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq, which the United States invaded less than two years after toppling the Taliban from power here when they refused to hand over Osama bin Laden after 9/11. Washington 's distraction by Iraq has been blamed for enabling the Taliban to regroup in Afghanistan . The extremists' campaign has picked up in the past two years, with a wave of suicide bombings and other attacks.

The insurgent campaign was at its deadliest last year, killing more than 8,000 people, according to United Nations figures. Most of the dead were rebels but 1,500 civilians also lost their lives, the UN says.

The country is braced for another tough year and military officials have been calling for NATO partners to send more troops and equipment, especially to the south where the fight is fiercest and country forces there are under pressure. A reinforcement of 3,600 US Marines started arriving in southern Afghanistan last week, ahead of the fighting season, and is preparing for operations in support of NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). They will also assist efforts in training Afghan security forces, seen as vital to building public confidence in a campaign some here criticise as failing. After some bickering in recent weeks about the campaign in Afghanistan , officials are hoping the NATO summit in Bucharest in early April will see extra pledges and renewed commitment to ISAF and Afghanistan . The US ambassador in Kabul , William Wood, told reporters here this week he expected "good news" from the meeting. "I also believe some of the allies will announce additional provision of troops or other assistance," he said. A senior Cheney aide who asked not to be named said Cheney's travels -- including stops in Iraq, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the West Bank and Turkey -- was not intended to set the stage for military action against Iran. "That's not what these discussions are about," the aide told reporters.

Thu Mar 20, 7:17 AM ET

U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, left, looks on as Afghan President Hamid Karzai speaks during a joint press conference at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, March 20, 2008 Cheney said Thursday the United States will ask NATO countries to step up their commitment to help Afghanistan recover from years of tyranny and war.

(AP Photo/Rafiq)

Thu Mar 20, 4:59 AM ET

A helicopter flies around the Sakhy Shrine, as Afghans, seen in background, attend a holy ceremony to bring in the New Year in Kabul , Afghanistan on Thursday, March 20, 2008. According to the solar calendar which Afghanistan honors, the year is now 1387.

(AP Photo/Musadeq)

Thu Mar 20, 5:52 AM ET

Afghans gather to celebrate the Afghan New Year in Kabul March 20, 2008. Afghanistan uses the Persian calendar which runs from the vernal equinox. The calendar takes as its start date the time when the Prophet Mohammad moved from Mecca to Medina in 621 AD. The current Persian year is 1387.

REUTERS/Omar Sobhani

Helmand's new governor seeks talks with Taliban

Financial Times, UK
By Jon Boone in Kabul
Published: March 20 2008

The newly appointed governor of Helmand province has vowed to hold face-to-face meetings with Taliban fighters as part of a new strategy to quell the insurgency raging in Afghanistan 's poppy belt. Gulab Mangal takes up what is perhaps one of the toughest jobs in Afghanistan next week when he will fly to a province that is both the country's most violent and its biggest opium producer. In an interview with the Financial Times, the wellregarded former governor of Laghman province said one of his first tasks would be to set up traditional Afghan jirgas - councils or meetings - with "second and third-tier" fighters. He said he hoped to prove to insurgents, and to ordinary Afghans, that only the government could deliver schools, roads and social services. The issue of talking to the Taliban sparked a diplomatic crisis in December when President Hamid Karzai expelled two foreign diplomats involved in reconciliation projects in Helmand . But Mr Mangal will have the full support of the president, who appointed him. Mr Mangal said that he believed fighters who were not ideologically tied to the extremist movement could be won over. Second and third-tier fighters tend to be either hired guns who fight for pay or bored youths who have drifted into fighting and have been alienated from local government because of corrupt officials. Tier-one Taliban, the movement's ideological hard core, which has been heavily influenced by al-Qaeda, are generally considered to be irreconcilable. Afghan officials say that they have struggled to find a new governor to take over the poisoned chalice of Helmand from Asadullah Wafa, an elderly businessman who has been heavily criticised for failing to tackle the province's drug mafia.

Governors are regarded as crucial to the success of provinces. Earlier this year Mr Karzai blamed the removal of Sher Mohammed Akhunzada at British behest for letting the Taliban back into Helmand .

Both of Mr Mangal's predecessors were from Helmand , and Mr Akhunzada retains great influence within the province. Mr Mangal's roots in the eastern Paktika province - where he has also served as governor - and lack of tribal ties to Helmand could undermine his efforts to gain the support of the public there. But he said his outsider status could help him win allies across tribal divides. He had also received personal reassurances from the UK and US ambassadors in Kabul that Nato troops in Helmand would co-operate with him. Tackling corruption, eradicating booming poppy crops and increasing co-ordination with Nato forces would be crucial for turning round the situation in Helmand , Mr Mangal said. But he expressed doubts about a multi-million dollar US-led programme, dubbed Focused District Development, which would remove badly equipped and paid police from their provinces for eight weeks of intensive training. Mr Mangal said that corruption within the Helmand police was so deep-rooted that retraining would make little difference. Instead, police forces should be brought in from other parts of the country. He said eradication would play an important part in the battle against poppy producers in the province but that progress would have to be gradual and that farmers should be persuaded to switch to legal crops.

UN strengthens coordination role in Afghanistan

4 days ago

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — The Security Council on Thursday unanimously agreed to beef up the UN mission in Afghanistan to improve coordination with NATO-led forces and Kabul to fight resurgent Taliban extremists. The 15-member body approved an Italian-drafted resolution that extended the mandate of the UN mission known as UNAMA until March 2009. UNAMA and its new head, special envoy for Afghanistan Kai Eide of Norway , will lead international civilian efforts to promote "more coherent support by the international community to the Afghan government." Under Resolution 1806, these efforts will notably focus on fighting drug trafficking, as well as reconstruction and development. The UN mission will also "strengthen the cooperation with" the 40-nation NATO-led International Security Assistance Force "at all levels and throughout the country." UN chief Ban Ki-moon appointed Eide as his new special envoy to the country early this month after Afghan President Hamid Karzai rejected his first choice, British politician Paddy Ashdown. Eide's predecessor, Tom Koenigs of Germany , who stepped down at the end of December, was widely seen as lacking the necessary clout to play this coordinating role. The United States , Britain and France immediately hailed the adoption of the resolution. The Afghan-born US ambassador to the UN, Zalmay Khalilzad, reaffirmed in a New York Times article that Washington "is fully behind the United Nations in its mission in Afghanistan ."

"Success in Afghanistan will be a major step in helping to create security, stability and progress in the broader Middle East , which is the defining challenge of our time," he wrote. His British counterpart, John Sawers, had high praise for Eide, describing him as a "skilled and effective diplomat." And he said the resolution "set very clear priorities to bring better coherence" to the international military-civilian coordination in Afghanistan . "We will be very supportive of the action of the new special representative, Kai Eide," French Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert told reporters. " France is very committed to that aim." Ripert noted that French President Nicolas Sarkozy had restated his determination to keep French troops in Afghanistan and reinforce their presence. "We will certainly translate that into act at the NATO summit in Bucharest ," scheduled for April 2 to 4, he added. With some 1,600 French soldiers deployed in Afghanistan as part of the larger NATO-led force, Paris has suggested it might respond to US calls for allies to send reinforcements to Afghanistan 's volatile south. ISAF has around 43,000 soldiers battling insurgents led by the extremist Taliban and running 25 reconstruction teams around the country. Another US-dominated force of about 20,000 soldiers is also battling militants linked to the Taliban insurgency as well as other rebel outfits that carry out attacks on the Afghan government and its allies.

Last year, more than 8,000 people were killed in stepped-up attacks by the Taliban, which ruled the country from 1996 until late 2001, when they were ousted by US-led forces. In a related development, US Vice President Dick Cheney met Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul Thursday and the two men urged NATO to step up efforts to crush Afghan extremists and rebuild the war-torn country. The challenge posed by the Taliban will figure prominently at the NATO summit where Washington hopes alliance members will increase troops and resources, especially to Afghanistan 's south where fighting is the most fierce. Ripert also recalled that France plans to host a conference in Paris in June to review implementation of the five-year reconstruction plan for Afghanistan . The resolution further directs UNAMA to bolster and expand its presence throughout Afghanistan to promote implementation of the five-year international Compact adopted in 2006 to coordinate financial and military support to Afghanistan . Eide was also tasked with improving civil-military coordination "in support of an Afghan-led development and stabilization process" and extend technical aid for the electoral process through the Afghan Independent Electoral Commission.

Afghanistan 's Karzai declines to say whether he'll seek another term as president

Associated Press

March 20, 2008

KABUL , Afghanistan

Afghan President Hamid Karzai isn't saying whether he will seek another term as president in elections scheduled next year. Karzai was speaking to journalists alongside U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney after the two met at Kabul 's presidential palace. Karzai says he wants to leave a legacy of strong political leaders in Afghanistan 's future and that perhaps he could best achieve that by not running for re-election. Karzai adds that as far as he's concerned, bringing forward new leadership in Afghanistan is very important.

Afghanistan launches the International Year of Sanitation

Source: United Nations Children's Fund By Roshan Khadivi

On World Water Day, 20 March 2008, UNICEF is focusing on the importance of sanitation and hygiene in reaching global goals for safe water. Here is one in a series of related reports.KABUL, Afghanistan , 20 March 2008 – Afghanistan has launched the International Year of Sanitation to advance cooperation among policymakers, humanitarian partners and communities on improving sanitation and increasing access to safe water around the country. UNICEF Representative in Afghanistan Catherine Mbengue helped launch the campaign, focusing on the impact of sanitation on education.

'We at UNICEF believe improvement in school water, sanitation and hygiene education not only promotes a healthy physical and learning environment,' said Ms. Mbengue. 'It also increases girls' enrolment and creates links between schools and communities, resulting in support for children's rights.'

Healthier schools and communities

Since 2004, the Healthy School Initiative (HIS), organized jointly by UN agencies and the Government of Afghanistan, has been implemented in 500 schools across 10 provinces. The initiative, which is being expanded throughout the country, aims to provide children with quality education in a healthy environment – including access to safe water and separate latrines for girls and boys. HIS also conducts de-worming campaigns for schoolchildren and offers hygiene education for teachers and students. Beyond school sanitation and hygiene, UNICEF and its partners in Afghanistan have constructed more than 11,000 wells and 59 pipe schemes for water networks, as well as building or rehabilitating over 1,700 reservoirs that serve a total of some 3.8 million people. And last year, UNICEF supported the construction of more than 23,000 latrines either in houses or in schools, benefiting 200,000 people – most of them children. 'But still, with the current rate of progress, we will not reach our MDG (Millennium Development Goal) target on sanitation, and we need to do more to reach every community,' said Ms. Mbengue.

Differing urban and rural needs

The target set forth by the Government of Afghanistan is to halve, by 2020, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and sanitation. It is estimated that only 23 per cent of households in Afghanistan have access to safe water – with 43 per cent having access in urban centres and 18 per cent in rural areas. Sanitation needs differ depending upon location. In rural areas, the focus is on hygiene education and improved latrines. In cities, there is more of a need for functioning sewage systems.

Key messages on hygiene

The rural water and sanitation programme of the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, together with the country's ongoing water-supply and sanitation projects, aim to achieve Afghanistan 's long-term goals. 'We hope that the UN declaration of the year 2008 as the International Year of Sanitation will bring more collaboration between the UN agencies, Afghan institutions and NGOs, and mobilize resources to assist our compatriots in the development of rural areas and elimination of this problem,' President Hamid Karzai said in a message he sent for last week's launch event. To celebrate World Water Day today, UNICEF is distributing an informational booklet that includes key messages on hygiene and sanitation in local languages throughout the country. Meanwhile, one village in each province has been selected to showcase how a community can participate in ensuring that all its families adopt key sanitation and hygiene practices.

Fri Mar 21, 11:12 AM ET

In this photo released by the U.S Army, Spc. Monica Brown, right, shakes Vice President Dick Cheney

(AP Photo/U.S. Army, Pfc. Scott Davis,HO)

This image provided by the US Army shows Army Spc. Monica Brown, a medic from the 782nd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, who received a silver star at an award ceremony at Bagram Airfield , Afghanistan , Thursday, March 20, 2008. Brown is the second female since World War II to earn the Silver Star award for her gallant actions while in combat. Pentagon policy prohibits women from serving in front-line combat roles — in the infantry, armor or artillery, for example. But the nature of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq , with no real front lines, has seen women soldiers take part in close-quarters combat more than previous conflicts. Four Army nurses in World War II were the first women to receive the Silver Star, though three nurses serving in World War I were awarded the medal posthumously last year, according to the Army's Web site.

(AP Photo/US Army - Spc. Micah E. Clare)

UN Renews Mission in Afghanistan

By JOHN HEILPRIN – 3 days ago

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council on Thursday authorized an expanded political mission in Afghanistan to strengthen support for the Afghan government as the country confronts increasing insurgent violence. The resolution was approved unanimously by the 15-member council. " Afghanistan is one of the most important issues facing the world, because the struggle against terrorism and against extremism in that part of the world is the defining challenge of our time," Afghan-born U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said. Renewing the mandate for another year gives the mission and Kai Eide of Norway , the new U.N. special representative in Afghanistan , responsibility for providing "more coherent support by the international community to the Afghan government" and for leading the U.N. in "a strengthened and expanded presence throughout the country." Last week, the U.N. peacekeeping chief called for a U.N. "course correction" in Afghanistan to improve coordination of international civilian efforts to help promote peace. Undersecretary-General for Peacekeeping Jean-Marie Guehenno told the council the international community has been committed and generous, but all too often "insufficiently united." The council first established the U.N. mission in Afghanistan in 2002. It provides technical help, political and strategic advice and other support for the Afghan government, while also promoting human rights and managing aid for people struggling to rebuild their lives. "This was really important for us to see that the Security Council resolution was adopted unanimously," said Afghanistan 's U.N. Ambassador Zahir Tanin. Most important, he said, is the message sent by the council's vote that the international community intends to "stay engaged in Afghanistan " despite some its "fear and concerns."

The council's resolution expresses concern about "increased violent and terrorist activities by the Taliban, al-Qaida, illegally armed groups, criminals and those involved in the narcotics trade, and the increasingly strong links between terrorism activities and illicit drugs." Insurgent violence in Afghanistan is at its highest level since U.S. forces invaded the country in 2001 to oust the hard-line Islamic Taliban rulers, who harbored al-Qaida leaders blamed for planning the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. A NATO-led international force authorized by the U.N. has about 8,000 troops in Afghanistan . The U.S. contributes one-third of the force, and also has about 12,000 other U.S. troops there that it plans to increase to 32,000 by late summer. Canada has 2,500 troops in Kandahar province and recently threatened to pull them out unless other NATO countries supply 1,000 more troops for that anti-Taliban effort. Approval of the resolution coincided an unannounced visit Thursday to Afghanistan by Vice President Dick Cheney. The vice president stood beside Afghan President Hamid Karzai and told reporters the United States will call on NATO countries to do more to help with Afghanistan 's recovery from years of strife. Karzai has told the U.N. that he supports its efforts to help Afghans, particularly those who feel "alienated" from government but support its laws.

New girls school in Afghanistan is part of NATO strategy

The Associated Press via International Herald Tribune March 21, 2008

DEH HASSAN, Afghanistan

The girl flashed a shy smile from under her white head scarf and stepped to the front of the class when the headmaster asked who could find Afghanistan on the map of the world. After a little hesitation, 11-year-old Pashtun pointed to her homeland, making a successful start to her first day at school. Pashtun — a common first name in ethnic Pashtun areas — and her classmates are the face of Afghanistan that NATO wants the world to see. It's a stark contrast to the surge in violence that made last year the bloodiest since the U.S.-led coalition toppled the Taliban in late 2001. German and Scandinavian troops provided security and German aid workers supplied the funds to build the new yellow-and-white schoolhouse for 600 girls from Deh Hassan and nearby villages. Development projects like this school complement NATO's combat and security operations in Afghanistan , an attempt to win the hearts and minds of Afghans and show them that the alliance is committed to helping the government. Under the Taliban regime, it was a crime to teach females. Der Hassan, a village of camel herders and almond farmers, sits in a strip of desert separating the mountains of central Afghanistan from the northern border with Uzbekistan .

NATO troops are welcome in this region far from the southern battlefields.

"It's all calm and serene here," says district Governor Alhaj Sayed Abrar. "Each step NATO takes for the reconstruction of the country is positive." Over a lunch of palao rice, lamb and the famed local pomegranates, Abrar heaped praise on the German troops and development officials. He blamed the continued violence on foreign militants mainly from Pakistan who exploit the Islamic conservatism of Afghan southerners to whip up extremism. However, just 75 miles east of Deh Hassan, German army commanders in the city of Kunduz say their previously calm sector has seen a spate of attacks since last summer. The German government has reinforced the mission by sending in paratroopers. "There's hardly any week, any day, when there is not a rocket attack," said Lt. Col. Dietmar Jeserich. Underscoring the complexity of their task, NATO commanders are unsure if the attacks are coming from Taliban who have infiltrated the region or drug runners eager to maintain lawlessness on a key route into Central Asia .

Germany has 3,200 troops in Afghanistan , mostly in the north — a small percentage of the roughly 42,000 NATO troops in the country. The refusal of key European allies such as Germany, Italy and Spain to send forces to join the British, Americans, Canadians and Dutch who are leading the fight in the south has led to months of ugly infighting within NATO. The demands for more troops are expected to resume when President Bush joins the other allied leaders and Afghan President Hamid Karzai at a NATO summit next month in Bucharest , Romania . An expected announcement that France will send up to hundreds of extra combat troops will partly meet the need. However, it's not yet clear whether the French soldiers will be sent to the south in response to Canada 's threat to pull out of dangerous Kandahar province unless NATO finds 1,000 reinforcements for its beleaguered troops there. NATO diplomats hope the leaders will agree that their soldiers have to be both "warriors and well diggers" in Afghanistan — fighting to achieve security, then following up with speedy development to win over the local population. To do that, they will need more money as well as more troops. NATO's top commander, U.S. Gen. John Craddock, says American forces in eastern Afghanistan have made great strides undermining the Taliban threat in their region through generous development