NATO Afghan plan calls for 12K Americans

"PORTOROZ, Slovenia - A plan to extend
NATO's military control across all of
Afghanistan would put as many as 12,000 U.S. troops under foreign battlefield command, a number that U.S. officials said could be the most since World War II.


NATO defense ministers were expected to approve and announce the extension of the Afghan security mission on Thursday, but some of the countries attending the alliance's meeting here had asked for clarification about the plan.

As a result, diplomats said the decision had been pushed back by several hours and was expected early in the evening. The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity pending the official announcement of an agreement.

The largest number of U.S. troops ever put under the control of foreign battlefield commanders was about 300,000 during WWI, said military officials traveling with Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld for the NATO meeting."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060928/ap_on_re_as/rumsfeld_nato_14



WTF? Way to "support the troops".

-02 campaign. Strange isn't it ? How Bush removed much of the force and now it is required again to quell the Taliban resurgence.