Defense chiefs from NATO's 26 nations have said they needed more troops and fewer limitations on the use of their forces to step up the fight against insurgents in the violent south of Afghanistan.
No pledges of extra troops were announced after two days of talks in Warsaw yesterday but NATO officials said national defense chiefs had agreed to consult with their capitals on reinforcements to tackle fiercer-than-expected Taliban resistance.
They will meet again on Wednesday at NATO military headquarters in Mons, southern Belgium, for a so-called force generation conference aimed at matching the call by alliance commanders for between 2,000 and 2,500 extra troops.
However, NATO officials are acutely aware that many of the nations it would like to ask for reinforcements have stressed their armed forces are already stretched by involvement in international missions in Iraq, Lebanon, Congo and Kosovo.
"Nobody stands up and says 'No' at these meetings but the many challenges of running multiple operations were raised," said a spokesman.