Cheney calls for continued NATO help in Afghanistan

U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney on Thursday called his country's commitment to Afghanistan "firm and unshakable" and said members of NATO need to step up their commitment to help it continue to rebound from years of tyranny and war.

Problems in Afghanistan will be a key topic at the NATO summit early next month in Romania. NATO's force is about 43,000-strong, but commanders seek more combat troops for areas in southern Afghanistan where Taliban and al-Qaida fighters are the most active.

"America will ask our NATO allies for an even stronger commitment for the future," Cheney said, standing alongside Afghan President Hamid Karzai at his …