Twice as many instructors will be needed to train Afghan security forces

Twice as many instructors will be needed to train Afghan security forces than the number due to be deployed in Afghanistan next year, but the US Army only plans to send an extra two battalions to Afghanistan in 2008, numbering between 1,200 to 1,400. Over the next year, the troop requirement would also drop, while NATO was due to start contributing forces towards training Afghan units. As well as the 3,400 senior US officers providing training in Afghanistan there are also some 600 police officers and 125 Europeans, with their number starting to rise to 200.

Islamic Taliban militants have been leading an insurgency against the US-led coalition and NATO forces in Afghanistan since they were ousted from power in late 2001. Following US pressure, several NATO members including France agreed last month to send reinforcements to Afghanistan partly with the aim of training the Afghan army which is to boost its ranks over the coming years from 35,000 to 70,000 soldiers. The aim is for the Afghan army eventually to take over from the international forces, although this is unlikely to happen before 2011.