U.S. stresses NATO role despite Afghan expansion

By Andrew Gray

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - As the United States pours troops into Afghanistan and boosts its role in the NATO force's command structure, Washington is trying to reassure its allies that it still wants the war to be a joint effort.

U.S. officials say they want to stick with NATO in Afghanistan for political and practical reasons, even though waging war as part of the alliance brings frustrations such as limits on the use of different nations' forces.

In an effort to turn the tide against a resurgent Taliban, Washington is deploying more than 30,000 troops to Afghanistan this year to reach a total of 68,000 by autumn -- a presence about twice as large as all other NATO members combined.

U.S.-led forces toppled Afghanistan's former Taliban regime in 2001 after the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington, which U.S. officials say were planned from al Qaeda safe havens on Afghan territory.

With insurgent violence at its worst level since then, U.S. officials acknowledge they are not winning in Afghanistan and the administration has declared the war its military priority.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who has been blunt in his criticism of NATO nations for not committing more troops to Afghanistan, was keen to strike an upbeat note after a meeting of alliance defence ministers in Brussels on Friday.

"I would not minimize the importance of 32,000 NATO and partnering troops in Afghanistan and the role that they and their civilians and their development people are playing in virtually every part of the country," he said.

At the meeting, ministers agreed to a new command structure for the force which will increase the influence of U.S. generals.