More troops needed to tackle Taliban-NATO general

LONDON, Jan 22 (Reuters) NATO's commander of forces in Afghanistan said he needed more troops to fight Taliban insurgents and victory could be just a year away.

''I am concerned that NATO nations will assume the same level of risk in 2007, believing they can get away with it,'' General David Richards, a Briton, told the Guardian newspaper.

''They might, but it's a dangerous assumption to believe the same ingredients will exist this year as they did last. And anyway a stabilised situation is not a good enough aim,'' he said in an interview conducted by email and published today.

''We should and can win in Afghanistan but we need to put more military effort into the country.'' The newspaper quoted Richards as saying the military was ''hugely frustrated''.

''We must apply ourselves more energetically for one more year in order to win.

''What I need is more troops, not the ability simply to redeploy existing troops,'' Richards said.

About 40,000 foreign troops are in Afghanistan, some 33,000 of them under NATO command.

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said last week he would consider more troops for Afghanistan where US commanders say the Taliban insurgency is expected to intensify.

NATO forces are trying to ensure enough security in the country to enable development projects to begin.

''Our civilian partners must improve the speed and scale of their reconstruction and development effort, sufficient to keep pace with the people's expectations; and President (Hamid) Karzai must accelerate the speed with which he roots out corrupt and inefficient administrators,'' Richards said.

''Finally, we must all do our best to bring Pakistan and Afghanistan together. Currently they are passing in the night and the climate is not good.'' A top rebel commander said this month the Taliban Islamist militia would step up attacks on foreign troops in Afghanistan in 2007 and kill anyone who negotiated with the government.

Taliban fighters staged a surprise comeback last year with the bloodiest violence since U.S.-led troops forced them from power in 2001. More than 4,000 people were killed on both sides in 2006 including nearly 170 foreign troops.

Reuters BDP DB1021