NATO general says more Afghan help needed from allies

WASHINGTON, Mar 2 (Reuters) NATO allies are failing to tackle the drug trade that has funded the Taliban resurgence and the alliance still faces military shortfalls as the Afghan insurgency begins to ramp up springtime attacks, NATO's top commander said today.

Supreme Allied Commander John Craddock, a US general, said allies had offered another 7,000 troops to the war in Afghanistan, including commitments from the United States, Britain and Poland.

But NATO still needs another one or two battalions, Craddock said. A battalion can include 300 to 1,000 troops.

''We still need full sourcing,'' he said. ''We still need some maneuver units, we still need some enablers, to do what we were told to do -- secure and stabilize the country.'' His comments come as NATO prepares for an expected Taliban offensive when the snow melts in spring. Asked if the offensive had begun, Craddock said NATO had seen a slight increase in suicide bombings and the use of improvised explosive devices, or IEDs.

''There's been an increase in suicide bombings and IEDs we've seen in the past few weeks, a slight increase. That would be the only indication I'm aware of right now,'' he said.

Craddock noted improvements in only one area of the Afghanistan operation -- security. He said NATO was not winning the narcotics war, improvement was needed in reconstruction and Pakistan must put greater effort into border control.

Afghanistan's opium production hit a record high in 2006, according to the US State Department, which said narcotics trade was undermining security in the country.

''Are we winning in counternarcotics? At this time, I'd say no,'' Craddock said.

He said allies should not try just to eradicate poppy cultivation and opium production but also target transit networks and drug demand coming out of Europe.

Craddock pointed to a lack of cooperation among US agencies, including the State Department, the Agency for International Development and the Agriculture Department for weaknesses in border control, reconstruction and drug interdiction.

For example, he said 30 to 40 per cent of the 25 provisional reconstruction teams set up throughout the country suffer a shortfall in staffing from one of those three agencies.

PAKISTAN BORDER Craddock also called on Pakistan to get control of the lawless region along the border with Afghanistan -- an area the Taliban has used as a safe haven and training ground and where it has found recruits among millions of Afghan refugees. Pakistan has refused to take blame for the Taliban's resurgence, and says it has taken many steps to get control of the unmarked border.

Craddock, however, said more effort was needed.

Pakistan, he said, should set up inspection points to check cargo crossings and a border control system that allows the government to know who is crossing through the region.

''It's enforcing your sovereignty, essentially,'' he said.

Reuters SI DB2257