Afghan defense minister to meet NATO counterparts amid new surge in violence

(AP) Afghanistan will take center stage at Thursday's meeting of NATO defense ministers as the expanding alliance peacekeeping mission confronts a surge in violence blamed on holdouts from the ousted Taliban regime.

Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak will brief ministers from the 26 allies and nations contributing to the NATO-led peacekeeping force, which is poised to complete a move into the dangerous southern region next month.

The daylong NATO talks will also discuss plans for the alliance to extend its assistance to African peacekeepers in Sudan's strife-torn Darfur region through airlift, training and other backup. Ministers are also expected to commit to maintaining NATO's 17,000-member peacekeeping mission in Kosovo while delicate talks on the territory's status continue through this year.

A proposal for NATO to set up an elite military academy in Jordan as part of a drive to improve cooperation with Israel and friendly Arab nations will also be on the agenda. Also to be discussed are efforts to ensure nations commit troops to the new spearhead of allied military power _ the NATO Response Force, which is due to be fully operational in October.

Before the meeting, NATO officials said ministers would underscore their determination to press ahead with the Afghan mission despite the increase in attacks. They expressed confidence the expansion of the NATO force from 9,000 to 16,000 and its tougher mandate would enable it deal with the unrest.

"Ministers believe, are confident, that they have the right plan, the right means, the right forces," said John P. Colston, NATO's assistant secretary-general for defense policy and planning.

"We are not planning to review a plan, at the moment, which we believe has been designed to meet the kinds of challenges that we are now seeing," he said.

Colston and other senior NATO diplomats said the increase in violence was to be expected as the allied troops _ mostly from Britain, Canada and the Netherlands _ move into the former Taliban strongholds in the south.

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld is likely to confirm a U.S. offer to take command of the NATO force in Afghanistan through 2007 after the end of Britain's stint in charge in February. The offer is seen as a reflection of the U.S. commitment to Afghanistan even as the expansion of the NATO mission allows Washington to free up some of its troops there.

Following its move into the south, NATO is hoping later this year to complete its expansion across the whole of Afghanistan by taking on the eastern sector. That will likely take its total numbers to 21,000.

The U.S. hopes to reduce its troop numbers this year from 19,000 to 16,000. Many of the remaining U.S. troops will be incorporated into the NATO force. However, the U.S. will also maintain a combat force independent of NATO to hunt down Taliban and al-Qaida remnants.

Ministers are expected to approve new guidelines for military planners. They have been told to focus on lighter, more mobile forces able to run up to six concurrent missions of up to 30,000 troops, along with two major operations involving over 60,000.

Ministers will also be looking at other proposals to modernize the alliance in preparation for a November meeting of NATO leaders in Riga, Latvia, the first such summit since June 2004.

The NATO ministers will also meet with their counterpart from Ukraine where delays in forming a government after March elections and a series of anti-NATO protests have clouded President Viktor Yushchenko hopes of moving toward membership of the Western alliance.