NATO-led nations meet to tackle Afghan insurgency

By Andrew Gray

EDINBURGH (Reuters) - Countries with troops in southern Afghanistan will discuss on Friday how to tackle rising violence by Taliban insurgents and mounting U.S. calls for bigger contributions to NATO's Afghan mission.

Ministers are also increasingly looking at how to boost non-military efforts in Afghanistan, with a view to helping the Afghan government provide basic services and dissuade local people from siding with the insurgents.

British Defence Secretary Des Browne will host the meeting of eight nations in the Scottish capital Edinburgh, having just returned from a visit to Afghanistan.

"The progress is tangible. But military power can only ever be part of the solution," Browne said in a statement.

"We must build on our hard won military gains and go further to help the people of Afghanistan to provide their own security, governance and economic development," he said.

Insurgent violence is at its highest level in Afghanistan since U.S.-led forces ousted the Taliban after the September 11, 2001 attacks against the United States.

Compared to a year ago, violence overall is up 27 percent and has risen 60 percent in the southern province of Helmand, according to the U.S. military.

Britain and the United States have long called for other nations to shoulder more of the burden in Afghanistan. But U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has turned up the volume.