Bush to ask Congress for extra money for Afghan recovery

After the bloodiest year in Afghanistan since the U.S. invasion, the Bush administration is preparing a series of military, economic and political initiatives aimed partly at preempting an expected offensive this spring by Taliban insurgents, the report said, quoting senior U.S. officials.

The request would represent a sizable increase in the U.S. commitment to the strife-torn country.

Since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion that toppled the Taliban, the United States has provided a little more than 14 billion dollars in assistance to the country.

The U.S. military said on Wednesday that around 3,500 soldiers in the Army's 10th Mountain Division would have their tours in Afghanistan extended by four months, as part of an effort to beef up U.S. troop strength.

The report said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was to meet with other NATO foreign ministers in Brussels on Friday to discuss the issue of Afghanistan.

The move was taken as part of a new diplomatic offensive of the United States to secure more international support for the government of President Hamid Karzai.

Violence escalated last year in Afghanistan as allied forces confronted an emboldened Taliban movement in the south, and the central government encountered continuing problems in providing basic services, the report said.

U.S. politics surrounding Afghanistan offer an intriguing counterpoint to America's approach to Iraq, the Post said. While most Democrats fiercely oppose President Bush's plan to send another 21,000 troops to Iraq, they support a more invigorated battle in Afghanistan.

If anything, they say, the administration has neglected Afghanistan, failing to insist that NATO allies assume more of the burden in maintaining stability there.