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Euros in NATO: we will not fight Taliban in Afghanistan - you're on your own
NATO and the Euros are worthless.
European allies rejected a U.S. suggestion Wednesday that NATO take on counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan.

Germany, France and Spain made clear they would not allow the 11,000 NATO peacekeepers in the Central Asian nation to become embroiled in the military effort to quell a Taliban-led insurgency. They also opposed talk of merging the NATO mission with a U.S.-led coalition force, although NATO officials said they expected agreement on a proposal to bring the two missions under a single commander.
So they won't work with us, even though we're "allies".
The suggestion for a combat role for NATO troops came from Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, who told the U.S. allies that Washington would maintain a strong military presence in Afghanistan despite pressure to free up forces for combat in Iraq. "U.S. forces will of course continue to play a strong role," he said after a meeting of NATO defense ministers.

Rumsfeld said he was satisfied with plans by NATO allies to expand the Afghan peacekeeping mission next year with more European and Canadian troops. He spoke amid speculation about U.S. plans to cut its 18,000-soldier contingent in Afghanistan as the NATO force expands. The New York Times and Washington Post reported the Bush administration was considering a reduction of as much as 20 percent by early 2006. Rumsfeld declined to discuss specifics. "If and when there's any decision to decrease forces, I will announce it," he said.
Sounds like we're headed there. 'If and when'?
Rumsfeld suggested Tuesday that NATO could eventually take over combat operations against Afghan insurgents, but he acknowledged that would be a difficult step and did not offer any timetable.

Along with other nations, Germany and France have sent combat troops to serve with the U.S.-led coalition force since Afghanistan's Taliban regime was toppled after the Sept. 11 terror attacks. But they do not want the separate NATO force involved in that mission, fearing it would undermine peacekeeping and make its soldiers more likely to face attack. "I would not like to expose our soldiers to an additional risk by joining these two mandates together," German Defense Minister Peter Struck said in a radio interview.

The issue has been sensitive in Germany, where the Social Democratic government faces parliamentary elections Sunday.

Spain's Socialist government, which withdrew troops from Iraq after winning elections last year, also cautioned against linking NATO peacekeepers with the combat operation. "They should coordinate their forces, but I'm not in favor of fusing the two missions," Defense Minister Jose Bono said.

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said the allies were close to agreement on putting the two forces under a single NATO commander. "There is a shared view among NATO defense ministers that we need a greater synergy between the two missions," de Hoop Scheffer told reporters.

Under NATO's planned expansion in Afghanistan next year, the alliance will take over peacekeeping in the southern sector, with Britain taking a lead role, backed by Canada and the Netherlands. U.S. troops will retain responsibility for eastern Afghanistan — considered the most dangerous region — under NATO command. Germany will take a lead role in the north and Italy in the west.
Posted by: too true 2005-09-15
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=129644