Europe to contribute 5,000 extra troops to Afghanistan

By Patrick Wintour and Ian Traynor in Strasbourg for guardian.co.uk

Barack Obama today won agreement for substantial Nato troop reinforcements in Afghanistan, when at least seven European nations, including Britain, said they would send up to 5,000 troops and logistical help ahead of the presidential elections there in August.
The decision, made at a Nato summit in Strasbourg, will be a profound political relief for the US president, who badly needed to be able to show his domestic audience that his offer of a new style of partnership with Europe could reap tangible results.
News of the reinforcements came as Nato named the Danish prime minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, as its next leader after overcoming Turkish opposition.
America and Britain have become increasingly frustrated at the 28 Nato countries's unwillingness to commit troops to serious fighting against the Taliban in southern and eastern Afghanistan.
The British defence secretary, John Hutton, has said he is expecting a surge in Taliban activity in an attempt to disrupt the elections, the first test of Afghan democracy since 2004.
The countries agreeing to contribute further help, according to European diplomats, include Poland – which is to send as many as 600 troops – Spain, Croatia, Greece and the Netherlands. Germany is expected to confirm that it will be sending extra troops to the largely peaceful north of Afghanistan for the election on 22 August.
France is sending a further 150 military police to help train Afghan civilian police, arguing that last year it announced a large extra deployment.
The commitments gave Gordon Brown enough political cover to confirm an offer to send up to 1,000 extra troops on a temporary basis of a few months. The prime minister had been reluctant to offer more troops unless there was a commitment from other countries to do more.