The expansion of the Afghan mission will take NATO's peacekeeping mission to about 16,000 and make it responsible for security in about three-quarters of the country. The separate US-led combat force will keep the lead role in the eastern sector where Taliban holdouts have been most active.
NATO's plan also sets out closer cooperation with the US-led mission by appointing an officer who will serve jointly as the peacekeepers' deputy commander for security and chief of combat missions for the US force.
The command arrangements are a response to concerns expressed by France, Germany and other European allies.
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