The U.S. Defense Secretary sparked outrage yesterday after criticizing NATO troops in southern Afghanistan for being ill-prepared to combat guerrillas.

In an article published in the Los Angeles Times, Robert Gates complained NATO soldiers in the region-- which include 2,500 Canadians -- are not trained in counter-insurgency techniques, resulting in increased and protracted violence in the fight against the Taliban.

"I'm worried we're deploying [military advisors] that are not properly trained and I'm worried we have some military forces that don't know how to do counter-insurgency operations," Mr. Gates is quoted as saying.

The comments quickly drew the ire of NATO allies -- the Dutch called the U.S. ambassador to explain the remarks -- and prompted back-pedalling by U.S. officials.

David Wilkins, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, issued a statement expressing "satisfaction with the role the Canadians are playing within ISAF."

"My country greatly appreciates the sacrifices Canadian troops and other NATO allies are making in southern Afghanistan to increase security and stability in a troubled region," Mr. Wilkins said.

Sean McCormack, a State Department spokesman, said Mr. Gates "was not directing his comments at any one country in particular, but at the alliance as a whole, which includes the United States."

Peter MacKay, Canada's Minister of National Defence, said Mr. Gates had called him to say the quotes had been taken out of context and he had been talking generally about training to fight a counter-insurgency.

"His comments were certainly not directed at Canada," Mr. MacKay told reporters.

Gates suggests troops in Afghanistan ill-prepared

Canada resumes command of the mission in southern Afghanistan next month after 15 months of Dutch and British control. The change in command comes at a time when combat in the region usually escalates, driven by warmer weather.

The U.S. government agreed this week to send 2,200 Marines to bolster the NATO efforts in the region.

"This is a fighting force that will greatly enhance the capabilities of the Canadians and our allies who are down there taking it to the enemy," Geoff Morrell, a Pentagon spokesman, told a news conference on Tuesday.

The United States offered the Marines in response to a request from NATO for 7,500 additional troops from its members. However, the decision to have U.S. Marines join the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) -- rather than support U.S. troops in eastern Afghanistan -- indicates dissatisfaction with the NATO mission, according to David Bercuson, director of the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies in Calgary.

"That tells me that no matter how tough the United States has it in their sector, that ISAF needs shoring up," he said. "I think their feeling is that there needs to be more aggression put into ISAF. As a result, you'll see more efforts to catch [insurgents] before they can attack."

In the controversial interview, Mr. Gates suggests that NATO tactics are rooted in the Cold War and are now antiquated.

"Most of the European forces, NATO forces, are not trained in counter-insurgency; they were trained for the Fulda Gap," he said, a reference to the region of Germany where a Soviet invasion was expected to begin.

While Mr. MacKay appeared to forgive his American counterpart, the remarks prompted the Dutch government to summon its U.S. ambassador to explain Mr. Gates' remarks. Meanwhile, the Brit-ish Ministry of Defence insisted its troops had extensive counter-insurgency experience.

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