US welcomes NATO takeover of Afghan force

WASHINGTON (AFP) Apr 18, 2003
The United States on Friday welcomed NATO's decision to take over the international security force in Afghanistan, which will mark the alliance's first significant military foray venture outside Europe.

Secretary of State Colin Powell said in a statement that the move proved NATO was capable of adapting to meet a new generation of threats.

"The United States welcomes the announcement that NATO will take over direction of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) beginning in August," Powell said.

"I am confident that NATO will run this operation as professionally as it has run the successful peacekeeping mandates in Bosnia and Kosovo."

"This will be NATO's first significant military operation outside of Europe in its history, and is a sign of the alliance's new direction and emphasis on confronting the threat of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction from wherever they come."

Powell praised the work of the force, which has been criticised by some observers for being too small and of operating with too limited a geographical mandate.

"The force has performed a superb job of maintaining a stable and secure environment in Kabul under British, then Turkish and now German/Dutch control," Powell said.

ISAF, which operates under a United Nations banner, has patrolled Kabul and its environs since its creation in December 2001 following the fall of the Taliban militia in a US military operation launched after the September 11 attacks.

The Taliban strayed into US sights after providing haven to Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda network, chief suspect in the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington.

ISAF currently comprises some 4,600 troops from nearly 30 countries, including around 2,500 German and 600 Dutch soldiers and assists the Afghan authorities in securing Kabul.

NATO is currently undergoing a radical transformation, from a Cold War-era alliance whose actions have been geographically limited to a post-September 11 force focused on threats worldwide.

In Afghanistan, it will find a country still plagued by violence and instability.

ISAF's compound in Kabul was hit in a rocket attack last month, while US Special Forces also came under attack in the southeastern province of Kandahar.

SPACE.WIRE