Cheney Tells Karzai U.S. Urges More NATO Soldiers

Holly Rosenkrantz 1 hour, 22 minutes ago

March 20 (Bloomberg) — Vice President Dick Cheney, assessing the security situation during an unannounced visit to Afghanistan, said the U.S. will press NATO allies to step up their military engagement in the country.

U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, left, speaks as Afghan President Hamid Karzai looks on during a joint press conference at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, March 20, 2008. Cheney said Thursday the United States will ask NATO countries to step up their commitment to help Afghanistan recover from years of tyranny and war.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

“America will ask our NATO allies for an even stronger commitment in the future,” Cheney said following a meeting with President Hamid Karzai about the battle against the Taliban.

President George W. Bush wants a report from Cheney on progress in the country in advance of the NATO summit next month in Romania, Lea Anne McBride, the vice-president’s spokeswoman, said.

The U.S. and NATO are struggling against a resurgence by the Taliban, which was toppled by the U.S. in 2001 following the Sept. 11 attacks. U.S. intelligence chief Michael McConnell concluded last month that the militant Islamic group controls 10 percent of the country.

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