Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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March 12, 2008

US Officials Want More NATO Help In Afghanistan
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1B84F30:A6F02AD83191E1603A0B930A2E75AE6D98CBE7246176B735& Officials speaking
before Senate Foreign Relations Committee assess alliance's
performance in fighting Taliban Several U.S. Senators and a
high-ranking U.S. military official say America's allies in NATO
should send more troops to fight the war in Afghanistan. VOA's Kent
Klein reports from Washington.



With the NATO summit in Bucharest, Romania less than a month away,
U.S. officials speaking before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
assessed the alliance's performance in fighting the Taliban in
Afghanistan.







Joseph BidenMost of them agreed that the European NATO members'
participation in the mission has been vital to the progress that has
been made in Afghanistan. But many of the speakers were critical of
some NATO countries' restrictions that keep their troops off the front
lines. Democratic Senator Joseph Biden is the committee chairman.

"But the so-called national caveats are making a mockery, in my view,
of NATO and the notion of a unified mission," said Senator Biden. "One
ally can fight here but not another place. Another ally can do this
but not that. In my view, you're either in this fight or you're not."







General John Craddock (undated photo)U.S. Army General John Craddock
is the supreme allied commander for Europe at NATO Headquarters in
Belgium. He told the committee that the restrictions need to be eased.

"These caveats, like shortfalls, increase the risk to every soldier,
sailor, airman and Marine employed in theater," said General Craddock.

At the NATO summit, President Bush plans to thank the other alliance
members for their commitments in Afghanistan. But he is expected to
ask the allies to do even more.







U.S. Acting Undersecretary of State for Political AffairsDaniel Fried
(file)The overall situation in Afghanistan is still a reason for
concern, according to Daniel Fried, the Acting Undersecretary of State
for Political Affairs.

"Levels of violence are up, particularly in the south," said Daniel
Fried. "The border areas with Pakistan provide a haven for terrorists.
Civil-military cooperation does not work as well as it should."

But Fried does see some reasons for hope.

"It's worth recalling that six million Afghan children now go to
school, one-third of them girls," he said. "That's two million girls
in school, when under the Taleban there were none. Zero."

All 26 NATO member nations are taking part in the mission in
Afghanistan, but some of them are not willing to send more troops into
the country.


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