Sun, Jan 11, 2009 - Page 5 News List

NATO fears EU Afghan pullback

ECONOMIC SLOWDOWN The top NATO commander said the downturn will likely increase the cost of sending troops to Afghanistan to fight the Taliban-led insurgency

AFP , WASHINGTO

“Absent this financial crisis, still we’re challenged. With this financial crisis, we’re challenged ever more greatly,” he said.

Besides troop contributions to NATO operations, tight budgets are also undercutting efforts to modernize NATO forces and acquire helicopters, drones and other systems needed in Afghanistan, he said.

“So I think we are going to have some hard times ahead. It’s going to impact, one, the ability of nations to stay in operations, which is probably the most expensive. Two, it may slow down their transformation,” he said.

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