NATO to Lead Peacekeepers in Afghanistan
April 17, 2003
NATO decided Wednesday to assume leadership of the international peacekeeping force, ISAF in Afghanistan from August 2003. At the same time the 19-member alliance agreed to end its defense operations in Turkey three months after they were started.
Germany, the Netherlands and Canada had requested that NATO take over running of ISAF. Germany and the Netherlands have been in joint charge of operations to ensure security in and around the Afghan capital Kabul since February. Their mandate there is due to end in August.
“The enhanced NATO role will overcome the growing problem of a continual search every six months to find new nations to lead the mission,” NATO spokesman Yves Brodeur said. “This not only puts a considerable strain on the lead nations, but means every six months a new headquarters has to get to grips with a complex situation.”
NATO operations in Afghanistan will be carried out under the U.N. flag and the U.N. mandate. France and Belgium were reluctant to approve of NATO activities in Afghanistan, expressing concern that the alliance could be seen as the military arm of the “West” in the Islamic country.
Around 4,800 soldiers from 29 countries are involved in the U.N. mission in Afghanistan. Germany alone is providing up to 2,500 German soldiers, while 650 Dutch troops are part of the force.
NATO member states have led ISAF since it was established after the fall of the Taliban in December 2001. This will be the first time that the North Atlantic alliance engages in a mission outside its territory.
NATO operations end in Turkey
NATO will discontinue “Operation Display Deterrence,” its mission to protect member state Turkey from threats posed by its neighbor Iraq. The alliance will remove its forces in coming weeks.
Turkey had requested the end of the mission on Tuesday, after deciding that Iraq no longer presented a danger.
Despite resistance from Germany, France and Belgium, which were hoping for a peaceful solution to the Iraq crisis, the defense operation was approved by NATO and began its activities in February 2003. Four AWACS planes flew surveillance missions in Turkish airspace, and four Patriot anti-aircraft systems and hundreds of rockets were set up to protect Turkey from Iraqi attacks.