The US Central Command chief-designate General David Petraeus called for a troop surge in Afghanistan in the wake of an additional threat the militants posed to the neighboring Pakistan.
General Petraeus, who takes over next month as the head of US Central Command covering Iraq and Afghanistan, was addressing a press conference in London after talks with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Praising the British contribution that has seen a doubling of its force in Afghanistan to almost 8,000 over the past two years, Petraeus urged other NATO member states to follow suit.
He said it is up to the national governments and the alliance to determine how to generate the additional forces, in response to a request by General McKiernan, the US commander in Afghanistan.
The increased militant attacks are a threat to Pakistan's very existence, he said.
Petraeus indicated a stepped-up battle against the Taliban throughout the harsh Afghan winter.
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