BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO said on Friday 25 countries had pledged a total of around 7,000 more troops to support the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan, following President Barack Obama's commitment of 30,000 extra U.S. troops.
"Nations are backing up their words with deeds," NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told a news conference after talks with NATO foreign ministers.
"At least 25 countries will send more forces to the mission in 2010. They have offered around 7,000 new forces with more to come ... That is solidarity in action and it will have a powerful effect on the ground."
Rasmussen said the extra troops, which with the added U.S. contribution will raise the total number of foreign forces in Afghanistan to around 140,000, would help tackle a resurgent Taliban-led insurgency, but would not be enough alone.
He laid out what he called a new road map for NATO operations in Afghanistan, involving more troops, more aid and more training for Afghan security forces, as well as efforts to reintegrate Taliban fighters who agree to lay down their arms.
"Yes with more forces, but also with a new focus on protecting the Afghan people with substantially more aid money, and with a strong determination to insist that our Afghan partners live up to their part of the bargain," he said.
"(There will be) a new policy to support actively the reintegration of Taliban fighters who lay down their arms, and the intention to transfer lead security responsibility to the Afghan forces as soon as possible next year where conditions allow, which means stepping up our training as well."
The United States has said it intends to start withdrawing some of the extra troops it will be sending to Afghanistan as early as mid-2011, setting a deadline for Afghan security forces to be taking over responsibility.
But Rasmussen said that should not be taken as a sign of international forces abandoning the country.
"Transition doesn't mean exit," he said. "There should be no misunderstanding -- We are not going to leave Afghanistan to fall back into the hands of terrorists and the extremists who host them. It will not happen."
(Reporting by Luke Baker and Andrew Quinn; editing by David Brunnstrom and Tim Pearce)
