NATO on Friday agreed to allow its forces to assume an anti-drug role in Afghanistan.

Drug barons in the central Asian nation are being blamed for pumping $100 million annually into the coffers of resurgent Taliban forces.

"With regard to counter-narcotics ... ISAF can act in concert with the Afghans against facilities and facilitators supporting the insurgency," said NATO spokesman James Appathurai, referring to the NATO force, in Budapest, Hungary.

The United States had been pushing for NATO to allow its 50,000 troops in Afghanistan to hit back at those responsible for the drug trade there, arguing that a resurgent Taliban was making victory elusive.

© 2008 Newsroom.