Rasmussen sees more troops in Afghanistan

EDINBURGH, Scotland, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- The head of NATO says he expects substantially more troops to be sent into the fray against the Afghan insurgency.

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, addressing the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Edinburgh, Scotland, expressed confidence the United States and other members of the military organization will beef up their contingents in Afghanistan, Voice of American reported Tuesday.

U.S. President Barack Obama has yet to tip his hand on what tact his administration will take. However, Rasmussen said NATO will stay the course in Afghanistan.

"Do not make any mistake, we will stay in Afghanistan as long as it

takes to finish our job," he said, adding, "But that is, of course, not forever.

"Our mission in Afghanistan ends when the Afghans are capable to secure and run their country themselves. The way forward is to hand over lead responsibility for security to the Afghan security forces, district by district, province by province, as their own capacity develops."

British Foreign Minister David Miliband told the NATO gathering Tuesday "a winning strategy" in Afghanistan entails selecting, training, empowering, equipping and mentoring "those responsible for governing the provinces and districts" of the country.

"Success must be based on aligning our military and civilian resources

under a clear political strategy," Miliband said. "A strategy that reassures and mobilizes ordinary Afghans to resist the Taliban, that divides the insurgency by reintegrating and reconciling those is search of money, status or power, not ideology, and that builds a new relationship between Afghanistan and its neighbors."

The strategy discussion occurs as Hamid Karzai is about to begin his second term as president of Afghanistan.