Obama seeks EU help on Afghan war

Barack Obama, the US president, has urged Europe to do more to help his country win the war in Afghanistan, but European leaders have stopped short of promising an increase in troop numbers.Speaking against the backdrop of a Nato summit, which continues for a second day on Saturday, Obama tried to use his popularity among the European public to wring concessions from US allies."Europe should not simply expect the United States to shoulder that burden alone," Obama said on Friday in the French city of Strasbourg, referring to Afghanistan."This is a joint problem that requires a joint effort," he said.Obama also warned Europe's leaders and students at a meeting that, for geographical reasons, Europe faced a bigger threat than the US from al-Qaeda.