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NATO seeks stronger Afghan "rules of engagement"
04 Aug 2005 10:28:45 GMT
Source: Reuters
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By David Fox KABUL, August 4 (Reuters) - International peacekeepers under NATO command in Afghanistan expect more combat operations next year when they expand their mission into the country's troubled south and east. General Gerhard Back, Commander in Chief of NATO forces in Northern Europe, said the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) for Afghanistan would be seeking a change to current "rules of engagement" (ROEs) before taking on responsibility for peacekeeping in areas where the Taliban are active. "There is no doubt more robust ROEs for NATO will be needed," Back told a news conference after a handover of the force's command from Turkey to Italy in Kabul. ISAF has been deployed in Afghanistan since the Taliban regime's fall in 2001 is separate from a U.S.-led combat force currently numbering around 20,000. Command of the 8,000-strong peace force -- made up of troops from 36 countries -- was handed from Turkey to Italy on Thursday, a six-monthly change that this time comes amid mounting violence ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for Sept. 18. Most of the violence has been kept out of the capital, ISAF's main operating area, and the fledgling Afghan National Army and U.S.-led forces operating in the rugged eastern and southern countryside have taken the brunt of the Taliban-led insurgency. But ISAF has committed to taking on more "hot spot" responsibility from next year, such as near the Pakistan border, where the Taliban and their Islamist allies are at their strongest. The move will allow Washington more flexibility for troop rotations in Iraq. SECRET RULES OF ENGAGEMENT While ISAF keeps its rules of engagement secret, it is known that different participating countries have their own boundaries in addition to NATO rules. The rules govern how a soldier operates under different circumstances and cover everything from how to interrogate a prisoner to when a soldier is allowed to fire -- either in attack or defence. Back said he would be seeking more flexible rules and was sure that political masters of the 26-nation NATO alliance would provide support. "I am in no doubt that NATO will stand up to this challenge and this commitment," he said, adding that NATO expected to replace "a substantial" number of coalition forces. Hundreds of people -- including 36 U.S. soldiers -- have died since March, the bloodiest period since the Taliban's fall. But Lieutenant-General Mauro del Vecchio, the new commander of ISAF, said the force was prepared for any attempt to disrupt the parliamentary polls, which follow a year after Hamid Karzai won the country's first presidential elections. "It is impossible to define what the single toughest task facing us is," del Vecchio told reporters after taking command from Turkey's Lieutenant-General Ethem Erdagi. "But I and all NATO personel know the first important priority is the elections. It is crucial for the democratic process of Afghanistan." Thursday's ceremony was attended by Karzai, who thanked ISAF for it continuing operations. "The Afghan people will never forget the sacrifices of the children of ISAF countries, because without them the children of Afghanistan would have little future," he said.
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