Canadian, British and U.S. troops have been bearing heavier burdens in the fight against the Taliban than other NATO countries, Canadian Defense Minister Gordon O' Connor said Thursday.

O'Connor made the comment after a top NATO official said allies involved in the Afghanistan mission should provide more soldiers and equipment because Taliban attacks have been so fierce.

"We have more than met our commitment," O'Connor said in a telephone interview from Australia with Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

He said he plans to raise the issue at a meeting this weekend in Warsaw, Poland, where generals from the 26 NATO member countries will gather.

Canada, which has more than 2,000 troops in Afghanistan, has lost 32 Canadian soldiers and one diplomat since joining the mission in early 2002.

NATO's top commander, U.S. General James Jones, appealed for military reinforcements in the region earlier Thursday, warning that the next few weeks could decide the mission's outcome.

Jones, who is NATO's Supreme Allied Commander, said the alliance's battle against militants in southern strongholds in Afghanistan urgently needs more troops, helicopters and transport planes.

Jones said the "level of intensity" of the Taliban attacks surprised NATO when it stepped up its campaign in southern Afghanistan in July. He acknowledged that NATO did not expect Taliban fighters to stand and fight instead of using their old tactics of hit-and-run attacks.

O'Connor has warned that NATO would not be able to defeat the Taliban completely although it might be able to contain the insurgency in the south.

Source: Xinhua