Deepening divisions within Nato over its military operations in Afghanistan emerged today after Robert Gates, the US defense secretary, said America’s allies did not know how to fight insurgencies.
In arguments often used by British defense officials against American military tactics, Gates told the Los Angeles Times: "I’m worried we’re deploying [military advisers] that are not properly trained and I’m worried we have some military forces that don’t know how to do counterinsurgency operations."
He added: "Most of the European forces, Nato forces, are not trained in counterinsurgency; they were trained for the Fulda Gap," a reference to the German region where a Soviet land invasion of western Europe was regarded as most likely.
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Nato’s secretary general, quickly rejected the criticism. "I’m surprised because I have no indication – and neither has the military chain of command – that any country or countries are not exercising their tasks to the highest levels," he told Reuters news agency.
In the Netherlands, where there is strong opposition to the presence of Dutch troops fighting the Taliban in southern Afghanistan, the defense ministry summoned the US ambassador to explain Gates’ remarks.
British defense officials said that Gates quickly telephoned Des Browne, the defense secretary, saying his comments were not directed at the 7,000 plus UK forces deployed in Helmand province along with Dutch, Canadian, American, Czech and Estonian troops. British sources said that Gates was directing his criticism at Nato as a whole, not to any particular country.
Geoff Morrell, a Pentagon spokesman, said: "The totality of the piece leaves the impression that the [defense] secretary is disturbed with the performance of individual countries in Afghanistan. He is not". He was saying that Nato as a whole was not structured to handle insurgencies, according to Morrell.
However, Gates’ remarks reflect increasing tension and frustration within Nato about how to cope with the Taliban insurgency.
Whatever the concerns expressed by Gates, British military commanders have themselves accused the US of heavy-handed tactics, including aerial bombing – which frequently leads to civilian casualties – and have suggested that is the result of America’s lack of experience in counter-insurgency warfare.
In turn, US commanders in Afghanistan have recently criticized British plans to support local militia and civil defense forces in the south of the country.
"One way forward is to increase our support for community defense initiatives, where local volunteers are recruited to defend homes and families modeled on traditional Afghan arbakai [village militias]," Gordon Brown told the Commons last month.
Gen Dan McNeill, commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan, warned that the plan could fuel insurgency.