Gates disappointed with NATO response in Afghanistan

Washington, May 18: Amid US efforts to increase allied troops in Afghanistan, the US Defence Secretary today underlined his disappointment with the NATO response in the restive country, where member of the military alliance have been reluctant to take on greater responsibility.

For the past several months, the US has been urging its NATO allies to not only provide more troops, but also to increase their contribution in fighting war against terrorism in the country.

"I've been disappointed with NATO's response to this ever since I got this job. NATO, as an alliance, if you exclude the United States, has almost two million men under arms," Gates said.

He said he is disappointed as NATO has not been able to send many troops to the troubled county. Even the troops sent come along with a lot of caveats, which at times makes their presence ineffective, he said.

"Why they can't get more than 32,000 to Afghanistan has always been a puzzle to me," Gates told CBS news channel in an interview. PTI