ISAF requests more spy planes from NATO

Brussels: NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan has asked headquarters for more AWACS radar planes to support its operations against the Taliban, an official said Thursday.

"ISAF has sent a letter to the supreme commander in Europe (US General Bantz John Craddock), to allied headquarters, they are considering the request," the NATO official told AFP.

The official did not say how many AWACS aircraft were being sought by the ISAF chief, US general David McKiernan.

NATO has 18 E-3A AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) planes, which are loaded with electronics for detecting and tracking aircraft movement, under its command.

With nearly 52,000 troops from some 40 countries, ISAF operates under a UN mandate against insurgents opposed to the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, which have stepped up attacks and incursions from Pakistan.