NATO Chief Calls on Afghanistan to Step Up Fight Against Taliban

During a meeting with NATO defense chiefs Friday, Scheffer said it is up to Afghanistan to improve its government and boost support for its security forces. He stressed the need to fight corruption, build up a viable police force, and take on opium producers.

The NATO chiefs are in their second day of contentious talks in Vilnius, Lithuania, as the alliance considers a U.S. request for the deployment of more combat troops to southern Afghanistan.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has been pressuring NATO members to send more troops to fight Taliban insurgents.

Canada, the Netherlands and Britain have joined the United States in doing the bulk of fighting in Afghanistan's volatile south.

Source: By VOA News