Kandahar (Afghanistan), Dec. 12: US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said that Canadian troops should continue fighting the war in Afghanistan after their mission''s scheduled end in 2011.

Speaking with front-line commanders and the press, Gates was quoted by the Globe and Mail as saying: "Everybody would agree that holding your own isn''t good enough. The countries that have partnered with the United States and Afghanistan here in RC-South have made an extraordinary commitment."

London/Kabul, Dec. 12 : NATO convoys carrying military supplies for NATO bases in South Afghanistan, are reportedly paying Taleban commanders protection money to ensure safe passage.

According to The Times, contracts to supply British bases and those of other Western forces with fuel, supplies and equipment are held by multinational companies, and the business of moving supplies from Karachi to British, US and other military contingents in Afghanistan is largely subcontracted to local trucking companies.

Washington, Dec. 11 : The United States Government and the Pentagon have confirmed that they will be sending thousands of soldiers to war-ravaged Afghanistan to bolster the 8,000-strong British contingent which has been struggling to keep the Taliban-led insurgents at bay.

US commanders have said they would like to almost double the number of American troops in Afghanistan, an increase from about 32,000 to 60,000. Most of the extra
20,000 already committed will be deployed in Helmand and Kandahar provinces.

Kabul - A NATO airstrike accidentally killed six Afghan police and wounded 11 others Wednesday after their post came under rebel attack and the alliance's air force was called in for support, a pro

Korengal Valley, Afghanistan - Construction crews stand at the ready and millions of dollars are ripe for spending, but after years of bitter fighting the buck stops firmly at the mouth of Afghanistan's most dangerous valley.

Elsewhere in the country, the prospect of jobs and development can effectively slacken the grip of Taliban insurgents and their allies on isolated communities. In the Korengal, local chiefs claim they cannot break free, despite the rewards that beckon.

"We have fruit on the tree - but we can't eat it," a village elder lamented to government and US military officials at a recent meeting in the Valley of Death, as the troops call this scenic pocket of strife near the eastern border with Pakistan.

London, Dec. 9 : NATO countries are scrambling for alternative routes as far afield as Belarus and Ukraine to supply their forces in Afghanistan, reports the Guardian newspaper.

The step is being taken in the wake of four serious attacks on US and NATO supplies in Pakistan during the past month, including two in the past three days.