Still too few Nato troops

Commenting on the US's major offensive in Afghanistan the conservative daily Die Welt writes: "The new guidelines for troops laid down by the new commander of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, narrow the scope for air operations considerably. Moreover the Americans plan to set up little outposts everywhere so that help can be on hand immediately when civilians need it. This is one of the lessons learned in Iraq: Only when people believe that the soldiers will remain in the long term will they run the risk of opposing the Taliban and passing on important information about their hideouts to the troops. The Americans have already deployed enough soldiers to Helmand. But overall there are still too few Nato troops in Afghanistan's extensive territory to apply the concept in other embattled regions. Stability is nonetheless a prerequisite for civil reconstruction and for the strengthening of state structures."

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