Seville (Spain):"NATOis gearing up for an offensive against the Taliban aimed at crippling theAfghan insurgency,” said US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates. 

"We have an opportunity this spring to significantlydisrupt the increasing cycles of violence caused by the Taliban," Gatessaid here Thursday after a meeting of defence ministers from the 26 NATO memberstates.

"The spring offensive in Afghanistan should be ouroffensive," he said. There have been reports in past weeks that Talibanforces are preparing an assault on NATO troops.

Gates said NATO ministers agreed that this year the fighthad to be taken to the Taliban.

"Each spring for several years the Taliban have beenmore aggressive and there has been growing level of violence," said Gates.

"There is consensus that this year we knock that back and bring thesituation fully under control," he said.

NATO currently has 35,460 soldiers in Afghanistan.The UShas 8,000 troops in the country under separate command.

Last year saw the bloodiest conflict in Afghanistansince 2001 when a US-led coalition toppled the Taliban regime. Over 4,000people - including 170 foreign troops - were killed in fighting.

However, Germanyand France have expresseddoubts over further troop build-up in Afghanistan.

"When the Russians were in Afghanistan they had 100,000soldiers there and they did not win this process. We are not occupiers in Afghanistan,but rather liberators and we must win over the public," said GermanDefence Minister Franz Josef Jung.

Jung said security and rebuilding were the top issues in Afghanistan.

"French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie also expressedscepticism about sending more troops," diplomats said.

The NATO operation in Afghanistan is starkly dividedbetween countries involved in combat and those keeping their soldiers away fromongoing firefights.

Soldiers from the US,Canada, Britain, Denmarkand the Netherlandsare engaged in military operations against the Taliban. Canadian forces havetaken especially heavy casualties over the past year.

Germany, France, Spain,Italy and Turkey, however, have mainly deployed theirtroops in relatively peaceful regions of Afghanistan.

Prodding Germanyto do more, Danish Defence Minister Soren Gade warned there was a dangerouslack of NATO soldiers in volatile southern Afghanistan.

"I think more countries should take responsibilities inthe south," said Gade, adding: "I am not naming them," he said.

Germanyhas repeatedly refused to send combat forces to serve with NATO allies insouthern Afghanistan.Germany's 2,700 troops inthe country are mainly restricted to serving in northern Afghanistan.

On Wednesday, the German cabinet approved deploying sixTornado jets for Afghan surveillance but strictly barred the jets from takingpart in any air strikes.

NATO ministers were briefed on a revised Afghan allianceblueprint by General Bantz Craddock, supreme allied commander Europe,and also met Afghan Defence Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak.

Kabulis seeking more equipment and training for the Afghan armed forces.