Brussels, June 12, SPA -- NATO defence ministers today approved amission to train the Afghan police in paramilitary skills in a bid tocut the force's soaring death rate, according to dpa. But they warned that heavy fighting lies ahead in the country asWestern forces push deeper into areas which the Taliban once held. "We have agreed on the implementation of the NATO trainingmission. ... It will also include (paramilitary) gendarmerie trainingfor the Afghan national police," NATO Secretary General Jaap de HoopScheffer said after two days of talks with alliance ministers inBrussels. NATO is keen to strengthen Afghanistan's security forces so thatit can eventually pull its own troops out of the country. Hitherto, the alliance has focused its efforts on training theAfghan army, a mission which it says it has done to considerableeffect. According to de Hoop Scheffer, Afghan forces now take thelead in more than half of all operations against the Taliban-ledinsurgency. But the police force, trained by individual nations and a EuropeanUnion mission, "continues to lag behind the ANA in effectiveness,"even though it is improving, de Hoop Scheffer said. The police force has proven to be especially vulnerable to Talibanattacks: according to NATO figures, police officers account for twothirds of all the uniformed losses in Afghanistan. "That indicates a need for more military-style training: they needthe ability to fight back," Estonian Defence Minister Jaak Aaviksootold the German Press Agency dpa. As part of a broader push to streamline their training efforts,NATO allies have therefore decided to send some 300 paramilitarytroops, mainly from Italy and France, to teach the Afghan police howto survive in a firefight. "This will be done according to Afghan priorities, to help theAfghans stand on their own feet," de Hoop Scheffer said. Top officials also warned that the summer would bring heavyfighting to Afghanistan as NATO and United States reinforcements pushinto territory the Taliban once called their own. "I think the realistic expectation of most people is that weexpect a heavy fighting season ahead," US Defence SecretaryRobert Gates said after the meeting. De Hoop Scheffer echoed that concern, saying that with recentreinforcements, "we will see an intensified and an intensifyingfighting season: we will see more casualties on all sides." Nonetheless, "this is worth the price. ... Losing in Afghanistanmeans that the guys who want to destroy your society are alsodestroying our society," de Hoop Scheffer said in answer to aquestion from an Afghan journalist.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/673831