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[ 25 October 2007 ]
Dutch Defense Minister Challenges Other NATO Members To Shoulder Troop Burden In Afghanistan...
Eimert van Middelkoop on October 24 pointedly challenged other NATO members to take on a fair share of the fighting in Afghanistan, as he opened two days of talks among alliance defense ministers in the Netherlands, AP reported. "There is no such thing as a free ride to peace and security," he said, adding that "it is not about what we are willing to say for a safer and more just world.... [But] what we are willing to do." The Dutch government has warned NATO that its parliament may not extend the country's mission in southern Oruzgan Province beyond next August without increased backup for the 1,600 Dutch troops fighting the Taliban-led insurgency there. Any withdrawal of Dutch troops may instigate similar actions by Canada, which also faces a decision in 2009 on whether to extend the mission of its 1,700 troops in the south. NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer told reporters he would consider the idea of a rotation system, under which member states would alternate positions in the relatively calm north and front-line positions in the volatile southern provinces. He added that the plan would be considered in the long run only and is not "a plan for the immediate future." For the first time, representatives from the United Nations, European Union, and World Bank participated in the NATO defense ministers' talks, in accordance with the alliance's goal of coordinating the Afghan security mission with other civilian reconstruction and governance efforts. JC
...While Germany, France Agree To Increase Troop Contributions
Both Germany and France agreed at NATO talks on October 24 to increase their troop contributions in Afghanistan, although not in a fighting capacity, AFP reported. France agreed for the first time to send military trainers to Afghanistan to work with Afghan National Army (ANA) troops in the volatile south, a Defense Ministry official said. Some 50 trainers are expected to be embedded with ANA soldiers in Oruzgan Province, said the French official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. He added that the pledge is France's way of showing "its commitment to Afghanistan by responding favorably" to a request from Secretary-General de Hoop Scheffer." German Defense Minister Franz-Josef Jung told reporters that his country wants to "triple our efforts for training the army," in addition to the current 60 army instructors already serving among its contingent of 3,100 troops stationed in the north. De Hoop Scheffer, along with U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, has of late expressed disappointment at the lack of commitment in Afghanistan by alliance members, warning that success there is "vital to global security" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 23, 2007). Lack of trainers and equipment remains an ongoing obstacle for Western forces combating the Taliban-led insurgency in Afghanistan, as they look to the ANA and local police to take over primary responsibility for maintaining security. JC
Afghan Governor Survives Third Attempted Assassination...
Khost Province Governor Arsallah Jamal was unhurt when a suicide car bomb exploded near his convoy on October 24, injuring two of his bodyguards and two civilians, AP reported. The bombing was the third attempted assassination against the governor, who was returning home after visiting districts along the Pakistani border. The injured were escorted to a nearby hospital by U.S. troops in the area, said the provincial police chief, General Mohammad Ayub. Elsewhere, U.S.-led coalition troops, following an intelligence lead, moved into militant hideouts in central Afghanistan, instigating a clash with suspected militants during which several were killed and two taken into custody. Troops also found weapons, ammunition, and explosive materials stored in the compound. JC
...As NATO Investigates Claims Of Civilian Casualties After Bombing Raid
The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) on October 23 said it has launched an investigation into claims that civilians were killed in an October 22 air strike in the central Afghan province of Wardak, AFP reported. An ISAF spokesman said the force did not receive any reports of civilian casualties following the bombing raid near the town of Jalrez in Wardak Province, while an Afghan Defense Ministry statement only stated that "12 enemies of the people were killed," with no mention of civilian casualties. Afghan military commander Zalmai Khan told reporters that three civilians were wounded, but reported no deaths. But Haji Janan, the head of the Wardak provincial council, claimed that 13 villagers were killed, including 11 members of one family. The air strike was called in to target a large group of "antigovernment militants" seen preparing an ambush near the site of an attack less than two weeks earlier. The United Nations and the international community continue to criticize NATO for the high numbers of civilian casualties as a result of alliance air strikes and bombing raids (see "RFE/RL Newsline," July 30 and August 1, 2007). JC
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