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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
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| Rice and Miliband on Afghan trip | Rice and Miliband on Afghan trip |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband have arrived in Afghanistan on an unannounced visit. | |
| It comes a day after they held talks in London, at which they discussed ways of getting Nato allies to share the burden of the fighting in the country's south. | It comes a day after they held talks in London, at which they discussed ways of getting Nato allies to share the burden of the fighting in the country's south. |
| They are expected to meet President Hamid Karzai and military leaders. | They are expected to meet President Hamid Karzai and military leaders. |
| Earlier, the US defence secretary said Nato's future was at risk due to the refusal of some members to participate. | Earlier, the US defence secretary said Nato's future was at risk due to the refusal of some members to participate. |
| Map of main troop deployments | |
| Robert Gates warned that without reinforcements, the willingness of those engaged in combat would disappear and Nato might become a "two-tier alliance". | Robert Gates warned that without reinforcements, the willingness of those engaged in combat would disappear and Nato might become a "two-tier alliance". |
| Most of the fighting in the volatile southern provinces is being done by troops from the US, UK, Canada and the Netherlands. | Most of the fighting in the volatile southern provinces is being done by troops from the US, UK, Canada and the Netherlands. |
| I think that it puts a cloud over the future of the alliance if this is to endure, or perhaps even get worse Robert Gates,US Defence Secretary Q&A: Isaf troopsUS stand-off puzzles NatoUK-Afghan ties hit a low | |
| Last week, the US government sent letters to European states pressing them to send troops to southern Afghanistan. | Last week, the US government sent letters to European states pressing them to send troops to southern Afghanistan. |
| Mr Gates reluctantly agreed recently to send an extra 3,200 US marines to the country, having previously suggested the extra troops should be provided by other countries. | |
| All 26 Nato members have contributed troops to the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf), but many US allies, including Germany, France, Spain, Turkey and Italy, have refused to send significant numbers of combat forces to the south. | |
| The decision has created a rift between them and the US, UK, Canada, the Netherlands, Denmark and Romania, whose troops have borne the brunt of the counter-insurgency fight in recent years. | |
| Vilnius meeting | |
| Mr Gates is due to attend an informal meeting of Nato defence ministers in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, on Thursday, where he says he will continue to push the issue. | |
| "I worry a great deal about the alliance evolving into a two-tiered alliance, in which you have some allies willing to fight and die to protect peoples' security, and others who are not," he said in the US on Wednesday. | |
| "And I think that it puts a cloud over the future of the alliance if this is to endure, or perhaps even get worse." | |
| On Wednesday, Nato Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said the alliance was making progress in the country. | |
| He accepted that some big challenges remained, including the adequate training and equipping of the Afghan national army, but said Nato's mission in the country was one of necessity, not choice. | |
| "We are fighting on one of the front lines of terrorism," he said. | |
| "And the ones who want to spoil Afghanistan's development should not have it their way, because the consequences would not be felt in Afghanistan, but far beyond." | |
| ISAF TROOP DEPLOYMENTS IN AFGHANISTAN Countries contributing more than 1,000 troops as of December 2007 Canada 1,730France 1,292Germany 3,155Italy 2,358Netherlands 1,512 Poland 1,141Turkey 1,219UK 7,753US 15,038 Source: ISAF | |
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