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$10.6bn more for Afghanistan
26/01/2007 07:29 - (SA)
Brussels - The Bush administration plans to ask US congress for $10.6bn for Afghanistan, a major increase aimed at rebuilding the country and strengthening government security forces still fighting the Taliban five years after the US-led invasion that drove the militia from power.
US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice said all but $2bn of the money is for security. She detailed the plan as she prepared to attend a Nato gathering meant to plan for an expected Taliban military offensive in the spring.
Among other issues Rice planned to raise with her Nato colleagues on Friday are the divisions within the alliance on sharing the burden in Afghanistan. Some Nato countries have shown a greater willingness than others to send troops to areas of conflict.
The administration funding proposal follows a year in which Taliban forces launched surprisingly fierce attacks across the country, opium poppy production expanded and relations worsened between Afghanistan and Pakistan, a vital ally against global terror.
"The challenges of the last several months have demonstrated that we want to and we should redouble our efforts," Rice told reporters flying with her to Brussels for the Nato sessions.
The US aid package would fund training and equipment for about 70 000 new Afghan army soldiers and 82 000 national police, among other uses, a US state department official said.
- AP
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