Wednesday, March 2, 2005
NATO sends first batch of peacekeepers to Afghanistan
Agence France-Presse
Kabul, March 2
NATO on Wednesday began a long-awaited expansion of its peacekeeping forces into western Afghanistan on Wednesday as part of efforts to rebuild the remote and rugged region, the commander of the force said.
An initial deployment of Italian troops had started to arrive in the main western city of Herat, where they will later be joined by soldiers from Spain, Greece and Lithuania.
"I am pleased to announce that the advance parties of NATO troops have already began to arrive in Herat," Turkish Lieutenant General Ethem Erdagi, the commander of the 8,300-strong International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), told reporters in Kabul.
The move has been strongly pressed for by the United States as it seeks to reduce pressure on stretched American forces in Iraq and worldwide.
The troops will eventually form four so-called Provincial Reconstruction Teams and a forward operating base in Herat, as agreed at a meeting of NATO defence ministers in February.
NATO took over the ISAF force in 2003. Until now, its troops have been deployed in the Afghan capital Kabul and the north of the country.
Last year, the group's political leaders agreed to extend into the more remote West, but they took time to drum up the necessary contributions on the ground.
NATO chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said last month that the expansion would add 500 troops to the force's total strength.
General Erdagi said that when the deployment was completed, the multinational force would cover more than half of the war-shattered country.
"Needless to say, I am delighted that when this stage has been completed then over 50 per cent of Afghanistan will be in the ISAF area of responsibility," he added.
Erdagi said that ISAF was preparing to plan to boost security for the country's parliamentary elections, which have been delayed from their scheduled spring date due to technical and logistical problems.
He said that more troops would be deployed during the polls but declined to give a number.
ISAF has been deployed in Afghanistan under a United Nations mandate since the ultra-Islamic Taliban regime was toppled by a US-led invasion in late 2001.
The troops are helping Afghan security authorities maintain peace in the war-revaged country after two decades of wars and internal strife.
The road to recovery is not smooth. But the Afghans desire peace more than anything and their resilience provides the best key to the country's future.
© HT Media Ltd. 2004.