NATO commander seeks AWACS planes for Afghanistan

NATO's commander in Afghanistan has asked the alliance to send surveillance planes to the country to help the battle against insurgents, an official said on Thursday.

The request, if approved, could pose political problems for Germany, which supplies many of the personnel for the planes and which might need parliamentary approval for the deployment.

"COM-ISAF has requested it in a letter to SACEUR," a NATO official said of a request by U.S. General David McKiernan to NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe General John Craddock.

"There's been no decision yet," added the official, who requested anonymity.

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