NATO defense ministers were expected Thursday to approve an extension of the alliance's Afghan security mission across the whole of the country, taking in the volatile eastern region and bringing around 10,000 U.S. troops under allied command. Diplomats said the move had been discussed at an early morning meeting of ambassadors at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, and was likely to be announced during the ministers' talks in this Adriatic resort, the Associated Press reported. The decision comes just two months after NATO troops moved into the southern sector, sparking fierce resistance from Taliban fighters and dragging the alliance into the first major ground combat since it was formed six decades ago. European ministers will also come under pressure to send more troops to the southern sector where soldiers from Canada, Britain, the United States and the Netherlands have borne the brunt of the fighting. «I will be urging NATO to look again to see what more can be done,» Britain's Defense Secretary Des Browne said before the meeting. «Allies must step up to the plate to meet our collective commitment to support the government and people of Afghanistan.» U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is expected to make a similar call. A senior U.S. official said allies were expected to come forward with more troops although they may not fully meet the requirement of up to 2,500 extra soldiers backed by helicopters and planes which NATO's top commander, U.S. Gen. James L. Jones, has requested. The 26 NATO defense ministers, gathering for their two-day fall meeting here, are expected to agree Thursday on a plan to donate surplus military equipment to Afghanistan, and also are likely to announce new commitments of military resources. According to a senior U.S. official, Afghanistan has compiled a list of needed equipment, from helicopters and vehicles to armor and guns, and officials will set up a program to coordinate the donations.
