Frances Alonzo US Defense Secretary Robert Gates says (failure) of the international military effort in Afghanistan will mean the Taliban take over much of the country. Gates told the Senate Armed Forces Committee Wednesday the Taliban ruled areas could again become a (sanctuary) for al-Qaeda and a staging area for militant groups in offensive of Pakistan. Gates is (testifying) along with US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, and the chairman of the joint chiefs of (staff), Admiral Michael Mullen. Late Tuesday, President Barack Obama (announced) plans to send 30, 000 more American troops to Afghanistan. " I want the Afghan people to understand America seeks an (end) to this era of war it suffered. We have no interest in occupying your country. We will support the efforts by the Afghan government to open the door to those Talibans who (abandon) violence and respect the human rights of their fellow citizens. And we will seek a (partnership) with Afghanistan grounded on mutual respect. " Meanwhile in Brussels, NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said he expects the NATO countries to send at least 5000 more troops to the (war). "In 2010, the non-US members of this (mission) will send at least 5000 more soldiers to this operation, and probably a few thousand on top of that. Our (strategy) is also clear: to transfer legal responsibility for running their own country to the Afghans as soon as possible. " The Afghan government is welcoming the new US strategy for the war in its country, but not all Afghans are (convinced) that the US troop surge will defeat the Taliban. Meanwhile, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that it is looking forward to working closely with the US in part to ensure there is no (adverse) fallout in Pakistan. And now the latest development in Pakistan. Police there say a (suicide) bomber blew himself up outside the entrance of the country's navy headquarters in Islamabad Wednesday, killing one security guard and wounding three others. Officials say the attacker walked to a (checkpoint) at the entrance of the complex and (detonated) his explosives when security forces stopped him. Attacks by Ugandan rivals in the Central African Republic are leading to food shortages as local farmers are (driven) off their lands. VOA West Africa correspondent Scott Stearns reports. After driving them out of Uganda and (chasing) them across the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ugandan government troops are now fighting the rebel, Lord's Resistance Army, in the Central Africa Republic. Those rebels occasionally (ambushed) vehicles on the road along the southern border with Congo while they spent most of their time raiding villages for supplies and food. And that is (displacing) the local population. "People are no longer be able to farm. They are in the bush, running away from this LRA, Lord's Resistance Army. They don't know when next they will be able to go back to their farms. " Sitta Kai-Kai directs a UN World Food Program operation in the Central Africa Republic. She says the country's southeastern provinces are (traditionally) among the most food secured. But with the (rebel) incursion, WFP is now feeding more than 2000 displaced civilians in the village of Zemio, 1000 kilometers from the capital, Bangui. Scott Stearns, VOA News, Dakar. Australia's parliament has (rejected) the bill that cut the nation's carbon pollution, but the Australian government already has plans to (reintroduce) it by another measure next year. The Deputy Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, who is filling in while Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is overseas, said Wednesday that the government will reintroduce the carbon trade bill in February. "May I suggest a simple one? This is a scheme that is in the national interest. We live in the (hottest) and (driest) continent on earth. We are going to be hit by climate change (hardest). That is why we design the carbon pollution reduction scheme. " The legislation is a key policy of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd that would cut Australia's carbon pollution by at least 25 percent by the year of 2020. Iranian authorities have (released) five British yachtsmen who were detained last week in the Persian Gulf. A statement from the Iran Revolution Guards says after (investigation), they reach the conclusion their illegal (entry) was a mistake. Meanwhile, a top Iranian economist newspaper editor has been (sentenced) to nine years in prison for protesting the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. More details on these and more at voanews. com, I'm Frances Alonzo, VOA News.