Bush seeks Afghan funds as Pentagon renews focus

WASHINGTON, Feb 5 (Reuters) The Pentagon would spend 8.6 billion dollar to train and equip Afghan forces in 2007 and 2008 under the Bush administration's budget plan released today, reflecting a renewed focus on a war long overshadowed by Iraq.

President George W Bush asked Congress for 5.9 billion dollars in 2007 and 2.7 billion dollars in 2008 to train and equip Afghan security forces. That is up from the Pentagon's fiscal 2006 request of 2.2 billion dollars for Afghan security forces.

The request comes as US and NATO forces try with additional troops and funding to stop a fierce Taliban resurgence more than five years after the US-led invasion.

Last year was the bloodiest in Afghanistan since the hard-line Islamist government was toppled in 2001 and the Taliban has threatened a spring offensive of thousands of suicide bombers.

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has repeatedly warned of the risk posed by rising violence in Afghanistan even as Washington focuses on the Iraq war.

''There's no reason to sit back and let the Taliban regroup and try and threaten the progress that's been made here,'' Gates said during a January visit to Afghanistan.

Gates will attend a NATO meeting in Spain later this week to discuss the war in Afghanistan.

The United States has about 24,000 troops in Afghanistan. The NATO force, which includes US troops, totals 33,000.

Bush also sought 3.8 billion dollar in 2007 and 2 billion dollar in 2008 for the training of Iraqi security forces so the US military can more quickly hand over responsibility there, the Pentagon said today.

In total, Bush is seeking 100 billion dollars for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars for the rest of fiscal year 2007, ending September.

30, and 145 billion dollars for fiscal 2008. Another 50 billion dollars in war costs were projected for 2009 in the president's proposal.

The regular Pentagon budget request totaled 481.4 billion dollars.

REUTERS MS PM2353