The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Aboard A Us Military Aircraft

US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said that Afghanistan's military must be expanded and that the conflict needs to be recognized as "an Afghan war, not an American war and not a NATO war."

Promoting the expansion of Kabul's military force, Gates said: "We would be making a terrible mistake if this ends up being called America's war. This is the Afghans' war for their own country, and we need to make sure they know we are not there to run it, we are there to help."

"What everybody would like to see is the most rapid possible further expansion of the Afghan military forces, because this needs to be an Afghan war, not an American war and not a NATO war," he told journalists on an airplane returning to Washington from Florida, where he oversaw the promotion of General David Petraeus to the head of Central Command. Afghanistan has seen a spike in violence from a resurgent Taliban in the last two years, and Gates acknowledged the disparity between focus on Iraq and Afghanistan.

"There are close to a million people (serving in) security services of different kinds in Iraq," he said.

"In Afghanistan, which has four more million people (than Iraq) and is a third bigger than Iraq, they (the security forces) are 150,000."

US and NATO military commanders have voiced support in recent days for three additional Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs) for the Afghan theater of operations, to counter the upsurge in violence.

Washington has already announced reinforcements of 2,000 Marines to be sent to Afghanistan in November, and a 3,700-strong brigade in January.

"I think my successor will do everything possible to be responsive" to requirements for extra troops, said Gates.

"I think we do need to try and satisfy that requirement in 2009 for three additional BCTs."