France may boost its Afghan force

The announcement is expected at a North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Bucharest, Romania, which will be attended by President Bush. But despite pleas from American officials, France may be the only country to offer a significant number of additional troops during the conference, U.S. and alliance officials said.

"I'd love to be surprised," said one NATO official involved in Afghan planning, adding that countries such as Poland and the Czech Republic are likely to increase contributions by a few hundred troops. "It may not be as much as is wanted, but it's certainly going to be a lot better than nothing."

French officials said this week that Sarkozy had yet to decide on the final number of troops or where precisely to send them. U.S. and alliance officials expect the troops to be sent to Afghanistan's eastern provinces, currently under the command of a U.S. general.

The NATO official said a French deployment could free a battalion of American troops to move into the restive southern provinces, where British, Canadian and Dutch forces have been engaged in heavy fighting against a resurgent Taliban for more than a year. The official, like others interviewed, spoke on condition of anonymity when discussing internal debates.

Some U.S. officers, including Army Gen. Dan K. McNeill, the overall commander for NATO's Afghan mission, have suggested that a heavier U.S. presence in the south would help combat the escalating violence there because American forces have better training and resources for counterinsurgency operations.

Any troop adjustments are uncertain, however. One senior U.S. military official said McNeill had yet to decide whether to send additional U.S. forces to the south. The alliance needs to boost its forces in the south because of a threat by Canada to withdraw its contingent of 2,500 unless it gets reinforcements from allies.

"The idea of France reinforcing troops in Afghanistan is true, but when and where is unsure," said one French military official. "Will they be assigned in the south or the east? No decision has been made."