NATO Pledges 7,000 New Troops to Afghanistan

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, announced Friday that NATO will send 7,000 additional troops to Afghanistan to supplement the 30,000 President Obama pledged earlier this week, the New York Times reports. Rasmussen said the addition of 37,000 troops will have a "powerful effect" on the deteriorating situation in the country, and that it was important that Afghanistan not "fall back into the hands" of the Taliban.

"President Obama made it clear that this is not America's war alone," Rasmussen said in a Web video urging NATO allies to commit more troops. "What is needed is a comprehensive international effort to change the reality on the ground. We all face the same threats regarding Afghanistan, from terrorism, from extremism. No one can claim that the future of Afghanistan has no effect on us."

NATO's announcement follows an effort by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to convince allies to commit more troops for the war. After several days of meetings across Europe, Clinton said there was some confusion among allies about Obama's plan to begin withdrawing U.S. troops in 2011, but that overall "the response has been positive."

Video: Anders Fogh Rasmussen Calls for More NATO Troops