US demands troop support in Afghanistan

The US has by far the most troops in Afghanistan, roughly 25,000. then comes Britain, and then Germany, with just over 3,000 troops. But the German soldiers are largely out of harm’s way. That’s what the German parliament wanted. This German government spokesman says Germany is carrying out its mandate. He said the German government will consider sending troops to the more volatile south in the summer, but this analyst says don’t expect much to change. The analyst talks about German reluctance. But he says German’s actions don’t speak for all of Europe or NATO. Canada has also sent troops to the south. The Canadian Prime Minister says his country remains committed to Afghanistan, but only on certain political and security conditions. In other words, other NATO countries need to step up. There’s been an international recognition that the struggle in Afghanistan is crucial and battling worldwide terrorism is matched with controlling opium production. But this International Relations professor at Boston U says the hard part is convincing the public. He says today’s international security force faces a similar fight that the Soviets did earlier in Afghanistan. A new non-partisan report grabbed headlines this week by saying that winning the fight in Afghanistan will be a major effort that will require more help, more troops, more money and more patience.