'NATO Takes Command of Afghan Army, Police Training', Reuters, 21 November 2009
EXCERPT: "NATO took command of the training of the Afghan army and police on Saturday to consolidate efforts on building an effective security force, a vital precondition for the withdrawal of foreign troops. . . Deputy Commander of the new NATO mission Major General Michael Ward said he believed the move would encourage more NATO training personnel to be sent to Afghanistan, helping to speed the expansion of local forces. 'I'm very optimistic. We've identified what our needs are and we're bringing those back to NATO to get nations to contribute and we've already seen in this run-up, a significant number of people coming in with exactly the right skills,' Ward told Reuters. There are some 110,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan, including 68,000 Americans, fighting the Taliban that has spread its insurgency from the south and east of the country into previously peaceful areas. At present there are about 95,000 Afghan soldiers and about 93,000 police. In his assessment of the war, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Army General Stanley McChrystal, has recommended local security forces be eventually raised to a total of 400,000 soldiers and police. Ward said the immediate aim was to increase the army to 134,000 and the police force to 96,800 by Oct. 2010."
Read the full story.
Related articles:
Afghan forces fight an enemy within, Asia Times Online, 23 November 2009
Afghan security plans "a tall order", AFP, 22 November 2009
Afghan National Army takes next step to reaching 134,000 troops by 2010, DVIDS, 22 November 2009
A clean Afghan handover is a long way from reality, The Globe and Mail, 17 November 2009
Related posts:
Drugs, defections plaguing Afghan forces: NATO commander, 6 November 2009
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Afghan forces will take over in 2013: General, 5 October 2009
Assessment of plans to train Afghan National Security Forces, 5 October 2009
"The ANSF is vital to NATO/ISAF success", 27 July 2009
