AFGHANISTAN: NATO urges the international community not to neglect Afghanistan at a time of conflict in the Middle East and Iraq

NATO urged the international community on Thursday (July 20) not to neglect Afghanistan at a time of conflict in the Middle East and Iraq, as the alliance gears up to take over security in the violence-plagued south of the country. NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and its top commander of operations, U.S. General James Jones, met Afghan and U.S.-led coalition officials in Kabul to discuss what will be the alliance's biggest ground mission in its history. After talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, de Hoop Scheffer said NATO would double the number of soldiers the coalition had in the south. "The NATO young men and young women will do everything they can and they will succeed and they will not fail to create that climate of security and stability. So that, I will come again back to my mantra, so that the Afghan government and the international community can work together for the development of their country. It is their country. NATO is there to assist, NATO is there to help. We will not fail because we can not afford to fail," he said. Karzai emphasised that his country's security forces needed faster and better training, as well as more equipment. "In spite of some of the incidents, some of the mistakes that we all make as we travel on a road very mach want the presence of international community because we recognize as a nation that we will not be able to travel this journey alone without the international community," Karzai said. NATO is due to take over security operations in southern Afghanistan from the U.S.-led coalition at the end of the month. It already oversees operations in relatively secure areas in the north, west and in Kabul but Taliban guerrillas are active in the south. Despite a steep increase in attacks in the south in recent months, de Hoop Scheffer said he expected to see a fairly quick improvement in security once the NATO mission is fully underway. Afghan Defence Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak echoed NATO'S assertion that the breadth of the attacks would soon fade. On Wednesday (July 19), the Taliban vowed to step up attacks before the NATO expansion. Ahead of the handover to NATO, the coalition has launched an offensive in the south against a resurgent Taliban and their allies. On Tuesday (July 18), Afghan and coalition forces claimed to have recaptured the Nawa district of Helmand province, after it was seized by the Taliban for several hours. "We are very happy. About one and half hour ago our troops recaptured the district of Nawa from the enemies of our country. The enemies (Taliban) have burned the hospital, school and Afghan flag. Thank God our flag is now raised in this district again," said Mohammd Amir Akhonzada, deputy governor of Helmand province. More than 60 foreign troops, including at least six from the NATO-led mission, have been killed this year, the bloodiest period since coalition forces overthrew the Taliban in 2001. Scores of militants have been killed since the start of the offensive six weeks ago, according to Afghan and coalition forces. There have also been civilian casualties. On Wednesday night, residents said at least one civilian was killed and several wounded in an air strike by coalition forces in the southern province of Zabul. Children injured in the strike were being treated at a hospital in Kandahar. NATO peacekeeping troops, mostly from Britain, Canada and the Netherlands, are due to take over in six southern provinces on July 31. The alliance will boost its presence in Afghanistan by about 7,000 troops to 16,000. The extra soldiers should let the United States trim its Afghan force of about 22,000.

ITN Source | July 21, 2006

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