Roadside bomb kills 2 NATO soldiers in Afghanistan

KABUL, Nov 29 (Reuters) A roadside bomb has killed two NATO soldiers in Afghanistan as the alliance decided to increase its forces in the country to overcome a resurgent Taliban.

The attack struck a combat patrol in Logar province, about 60 km south of Kabul, yesterday, NATO said. The Taliban has launched a wave of attacks in recent days, killing six alliance soldiers in the past week.

And today, a suicide bomber attacked a NATO convoy outside the southern city of Kandahar, killing two civilians, a spokesman for the alliance said.

He said there were no military casualties.

On Monday, two Canadian soldiers died when a suicide bomber rammed his car into their convoy in Kandahar city.

NATO leaders meeting in Riga vowed on Wednesday to stay in Afghanistan for the long haul and some members made concessions to improve the mobility of their troops in the country as part of the 32,000-strong NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

NATO took command of the international effort in Afghanistan from U.S. forces in October, but some countries impose restrictions on how and where their soldiers can be deployed.

Bolstered by opium money and sanctuaries in Pakistan, the Taliban have grown stronger over the past 12 months and this has been the bloodiest year since their overthrow in 2001.

Almost 4,000 people have died, about a quarter of them civilians.

''We are committed to an enduring role to support the Afghan authorities, in cooperation with other international actors,'' the 26 NATO leaders declared in a joint statement after talks in the Latvian capital, Riga.

''Contributing to peace and stability in Afghanistan is NATO's key priority,'' they added of the mission that has launched NATO into the most dangerous ground combat in its 57-year history.

''There is a complete acceptance around the table that NATO's credibility is indeed on the line,'' said British Prime Minister Tony Blair, whose troops are bearing the brunt of the violence in southern Afghanistan alongside Canadian and Dutch soldiers.

U S President George W Bush said success in Afghanistan could come only if members accepted difficult assignments.

Alliance commanders say the mission has been hobbled by limits many nations have placed on how their forces are deployed.

Canada said it had pledged a further 1,000 troops and Blair's spokesman said Bulgaria, Spain and NATO aspirant Macedonia had stepped forward to offer more forces, while several other nations had lifted or eased restrictions.

But many major countries, including France, Germany and Italy, said their troops could only be moved to the more perilous regions in emergencies.

REUTERS PDM HT1925