NATO wants to double Afghan forces

The shadow of an Afghan National Army soldier and bullets are cast on the wall of a lookout tower at Three Tank Hill base in Kandahar province, southern Afghanistan, October 14, 2007.

REYKJAVIK (Reuters) - NATO called on Thursday for a doubling of the size of Afghan security forces to about 400,000 personnel to allow them to take over security from Western troops who hope eventually to withdraw.

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said it was premature to present any timetable for the task but NATO should set aim gradually to transfer the main responsibility for security to Afghans.

"We should aim at building up the Afghan security forces to a level around 400,000 in the army and the police altogether," he said during a visit to Iceland which coincided with voting in Afghanistan's presidential election.

"It will of course take some efforts to reach that level and also ensure the necessary capability and quality of the Afghan security forces," he said.

Rasmussen said it remained vital for Western security to prevent Afghanistan being a haven for terrorists and to increase military and civil reconstruction efforts.

"We should develop the capacity of the Afghan national security forces, the army and the police, so they can take care of their own security," he said.

The performance of the about 180,000 Afghan soldiers and uniformed police is patchy and they often cannot work independently, requiring the presence of a big foreign force in the country to combat Taliban insurgents.

NATO officials have previously set a target of boosting the size of the Afghan army to 134,000 by 2010.

U.S. officials have said defense and military officers have been examining the possibility of increasing the Afghan army and police to 400,000 personnel, including 270,000 soldiers.

RASMUSSEN WANTS MORE NATO TROOPS

Rasmussen has sought an increase in Western troops serving under NATO command in Afghanistan from 64,500 and called for a big NATO effort to train Afghan forces.

NATO hopes that creating Afghan security forces capable of taking responsibility for security across the country will allow for the eventual withdrawal of alliance troops.

Rasmussen said he was encouraged by initial reports on the presidential election but that it was too early for definitive conclusions.

"Though there have been some security incidents, nevertheless Afghans are turning out to vote," he said.

"Hopefully we can conclude at the end of this day that the elections have been credible, that they really reflect the will of the Afghan people."

Military analysts say NATO has been placed in a quandary by the election because international confidence is waning in President Hamid Karzai, who is expected to win.

The insurgency has worsened since Karzai failed to extend effective government rule throughout Afghanistan and NATO has deployed more troops, despite waning support for the mission in alliance states.

(Additional reporting by David Brunnstrom; Writing by David Brunnstrom and Mia Shanley; Editing by Angus MacSwan)