Securing Afghanistan against the Taliban's cross-border insurgency took center stage at the NATO summit in Bucharest, Romania. NATO leaders agreed to supply about 2,000 extra troops to allied forces in Afghanistan during the three-day summit that ended last Friday.
For the participants at the Bucharest summit, there was no turning back and no other option than to make a stand in Afghanistan. And to do that effectively, more troops are needed. The NATO summit thereby resolved to continue its "open" strategic adjustment on the settlement of Afghan issues.
Above all, NATO members need to rethink the "caveats" that hamper the ability of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to fight in Afghanistan. Some participating ISAF states believe that the core of this mission is to stabilize and support reconstruction; and, as a result, have been reluctant to commit their troops to counter-insurgency operations. This argument is also an excuse for some nations to avoid sending their troops to the restive south and east of Afghanistan, where they are needed the most.
The U.S. insisted that two realities are inextricably linked in the Afghan context: reconstruction cannot happen without establishing security, and vice versa. The Afghan government also recognizes insecurity, weak governance, a poor economy and unemployment as the largest problems facing the country.
Welcoming the reaffirmation of U.S.-led support, Afghan President Karzai said: "We would like an effective continuation of the two missions that we have here. One is the fight against terrorism; the other is the rebuilding of Afghanistan—especially the rebuilding of security institutions, the army."
The Bucharest summit ultimately agreed to provide more military and police trainers to build Afghan national security forces up to the strategic goal of 80,000 by 2010, in a bid to replace allied troops. NATO currently has around 30 such teams.
Under the two guiding principles—burden-sharing and the credibility – as NATO's relevant post-Cold War security mechanism, Washington has lobbied for other nations to provide more troops for the 47,000 strong NATO force. In particular, it wants to add forces in southern and eastern areas which have seen most of the recent fighting against the Taliban.
The United States is the largest contributor with 19,000 troops, followed by Britain with 7,750, Germany with 3,490 and Canada with 2,500. The French government now plans to make its show of efforts in Afghanistan; and announced that another 700 troops will be sent to the restive eastern area. There are currently about 1,500 French soldiers in Afghanistan, and most of them are stationed in relatively calm Kabul.
Viewed as a font of global terrorism, Afghanistan has long been torn apart by the insurgency-related violence. Unfortunately, lagging commitment on the part of donor nations has been a factor in bringing the Taliban new life. Now the insurgency is approaching a tipping point; and the rising tide of violence is diminishing the commitment of some NATO allies to combat Islamic militants.
In addition, the past two years have witnessed the highest number of foreign military casualties since the US-led invasion in 2001 forced the Taliban from power in Kabul. Currently, the security situation in Afghanistan continues to be volatile; and social and economic balance remains far too delicate.
Although in a departure from the past din at the NATO summit; the allies were in rare, unanimous support of the decision to make a strong stand in Afghanistan. It is still an obstacle course for NATO allies to implement an effective "clear, hold, and build" strategy in the turbulent south and east of Afghanistan where Taliban fighters maintain a foothold and influence over civilians.
By People's Daily Online
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article