Earlier today, the President spoke with President Karzai of Afghanistan as a part of their regular consultations. They discussed a range of issues, including security transition, preparations for Afghanistan’s 2014 elections, and Afghan-led peace and reconciliation efforts. The leaders welcomed Afghan security forces’ increasingly assuming lead security responsibility across the country. They also look forward to the spring 2013 milestone, which will mark a shift in ISAF’s mission from combat to support, as Afghan forces assume the operational lead across the country. President Karzai affirmed his support for an inclusive process of preparing for Afghanistan’s 2014 elections, and the leaders noted that free, fair, and credible elections would be critical to Afghanistan’s future and continued international support. The President welcomed President Karzai’s recent discussions in Doha with Qatari Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani regarding Afghan-led peace and reconciliation. President Karzai welcomed the March 25 handover of the Parwan detention facility to Afghan control. The leaders committed that their teams would continue to keep dangerous detainees off the battlefield and work in partnership at the facility, consistent with Afghan sovereignty.
Tag Archives: ISAF
Coalition Will No Longer Publish Attack Figures
WASHINGTON— The U.S.-led military command in Afghanistan said Tuesday it will no longer publish figures on Taliban attacks, a week after acknowledging that its report of a 7 percent decline in attacks last year was actually no decline at all.
A spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF, Jamie Graybeal, said Tuesday that its reporting on the number of attacks will grow increasingly inaccurate as Afghan forces move further into the battlefield lead.
“Because (Afghan forces) are now conducting an increasing number of successful unilateral operations, often beyond the view of ISAF, we have determined that our databases will become increasingly inaccurate in reflecting the entirety of enemy initiated attacks,” Graybeal said in a written statement.
“Additionally, we have come to realize that a simple tally of (attacks) is not the most complete measure of the campaign’s progress,” Graybeal said. “At a time when more than 80 percent of the (attacks) are happening in areas where less than 20 percent of Afghans live, this single facet of the campaign is not particularly accurate in describing the complete effect of the insurgency’s violence on the people of Afghanistan.”
The Taliban have been pushed out of many population centers and have failed to regain territory they held before the surge of U.S. troops in 2010. But they are expected to test Afghan forces as U.S. and allied troops withdraw over the coming two years. All foreign combat forces are to be gone by Dec. 31, 2014.
Read More at OfficialWire . By Robeert Burns.
NATO finds no evidence for Afghan claim of misconduct that led to Karzai kicking out troops
A spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan says NATO has so far found no evidence to support Afghan allegations of misconduct by American special forces in a strategic eastern province.
German Gen. Gunter Katz said on Monday that the International Security Assistance Force will work with the government to find a solution to the concerns of Afghans.
Katz’s comments come a day after President Hamid Karzai ordered all U.S. special forces to leave Wardak province within two weeks because of allegations that Afghans working with them are torturing and abusing other Afghans.
Katz says that ISAF cannot comment until NATO meets to discuss the issue with the Afghan government.
Sunday’s order seems to have surprised both NATO and U.S. Forces Afghanistan, a separate command.
NATO: No evidence for Afghan claim of misconduct
A spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan says NATO has so far found no evidence to support Afghan allegations of misconduct by American special forces in a strategic eastern province.
German Gen. Gunter Katz said on Monday that the International Security Assistance Force will work with the government to find a solution to the concerns of Afghans.
Katz’s comments come a day after President Hamid Karzai ordered all U.S. special forces to leave Wardak province within two weeks because of allegations that Afghans working with them are torturing and abusing other Afghans.
Katz says that ISAF cannot comment until NATO meets to discuss the issue with the Afghan government.
Sunday’s order seems to have surprised both NATO and U.S. Forces Afghanistan, a separate command.
Fact Sheet: Afghanistan
Afghanistan
In his State of the Union address, the President announced that the United States will withdraw 34,000 American troops from Afghanistan by this time next year, decreasing the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan by half – the next step to responsibly bringing this war to a close.
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Afghans in the Lead: Beginning in the spring of 2013, Afghan forces will assume the lead across the country. Even as our troops draw down, they will continue to train, advise and assist Afghan forces. In that capacity, we will no longer be leading combat operations, but a sizeable number of U.S. forces will provide support for two additional fighting seasons before Afghan forces are fully responsible for their own security.
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Planning for post-2014: We are continuing discussions with the Afghan government about how we can carry out two basic missions beyond 2014: training, advising and equipping Afghan forces, and continued counter-terrorism missions against al Qaeda and their affiliates.
The Security Transition Process
At the 2010 NATO Summit in Lisbon, the United States, our International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) partners, and the Afghan Government agreed to transfer full responsibility for Afghanistan’s security to the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) by the end of 2014. This transition process allows the international community to responsibly draw down our forces in Afghanistan, while preserving hard-won gains and setting the stage to achieve our core objectives – defeating al Qaeda and ensuring it can never again use Afghanistan as a launching pad for attacks against us.
At the Chicago NATO Summit in May 2012, leaders reaffirmed this framework for transition and agreed on an interim milestone in 2013 to mark our progress. This milestone will mark the beginning of the ANSF’s assumption of the lead for combat operations across the country. When we reach that milestone this spring, ISAF’s main effort will shift from combat to supporting the ANSF. As international forces shift our primary focus to training, advising, and assisting, we will ensure that the Afghans have the support they need as they adjust to their new responsibilities.
Today, Afghan forces are already leading nearly 90 percent of operations, and by spring 2013, they will be moving into the operational lead across the country. These forces are currently at a surge strength of 352,000, where they will remain for at least three more years, to allow continued progress toward a secure environment in Afghanistan.
As the international community’s role shifts and Afghan forces continue to grow in capabilities, coalition troop numbers will continue to decrease in a planned, coordinated, and responsible manner. By the end of 2014, transition will be complete and Afghan Security Forces will be fully responsible for the security of their country.
Supporting Political Transition
The United States believes that Afghan-led peace and reconciliation is ultimately necessary to end violence and ensure lasting stability of Afghanistan and the region. As the President has said, the United States will support initiatives that bring …read more
Source: White House Press Office
NATO helicopter crashes in eastern Afghanistan
The U.S.-led coalition says a NATO helicopter has crashed in eastern Afghanistan.
The International Security Assistance Force says all crew members have been recovered and no fatalities have been reported in Thursday’s crash. It says the site of the crash has been secured, although the statement did not provide a location or other details.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claims the helicopter was shot down by the group’s fighters in the Tagab district of Kapisa province.
But U.S. Army Maj. Adam Wojack, an ISAF spokesman, says the cause of the crash is still being investigated and it’s not yet known if there was enemy activity in the area at the time.
The Taliban spokesman also said in an email that all crew members were killed. The militants often exaggerate casualty figures.
NATO chief urges Europe not to cut defense budgets
NATO‘s secretary general is urging cash-strapped European nations not to use the alliance’s drawdown of forces in Afghanistan as an excuse to cut defense spending.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen told a gathering of the world’s top diplomats and defense officials Saturday that “we must build on what we have gained in operations such as Afghanistan — not cash in what some may perceive as the post-ISAF dividend.”
He says any more cuts now would lead to greater insecurity in the future.
Fogh Rasmussen says “in this age of austerity, that looks like an attractive option. But it would be the wrong option.”
He noted that since 2001 the U.S.’s share of NATO defense spending has risen from 63 percent to 72 percent while most European nations have cut their defense budgets.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News