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| UN extends Afghan force mandate, concerned over casualties |
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Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 23-Sep-2008 10:30 hrs |
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| French soldiers with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Sarobi near Kabul in late August. The UN Security Council has extended for one year the mandate of the NATO-led force battling extremists in the war-torn country, but voiced concern about the high number of civilian casualties. |
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The UN Security Council has extended for one year the mandate of NATO-led multinational forces battling extremists in Afghanistan, but voiced concern about the high number of civilian casualties.. The 15-member council unanimously adopted Resolution 1833 on Monday that extended the authorization of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) "for a period of 12 months beyond October 13, 2008.". But it also expressed "serious concern with the high number of civilian casualties" in ISAF's battle to tackle "increased threats posed by the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and other extremist groups.". There are about 70,000 international troops in Afghanistan, most of them deployed under NATO to help Kabul fight a Taliban-led insurgency.. The country has been struck by a series of high profile incidents in which civilians were killed, as well as the deaths last month of 10 French soldiers amid allegations they were poorly equipped to fight the insurgents.. In the worst case involving non-combat deaths, Afghan and UN officials have charged that 90 civilians, including many women and children, were killed August 22 in an air strike in western Afghanistan after a firefight involving US and Afghan troops.. Following the air strike, the top US commander in Afghanistan said he needed more than 10,000 combat troops to fight the insurgency and issued a revised directive on the use of lethal force with the aim of reducing civilian casualties.. Libya's UN delegate Ibrahim Dabbashi said after the UN vote that while he voted in favor of the text, his country "would like to express its concern with regard to the increased number of civilian casualties in Afghanistan due to the operation by the multinational forces.. "Fighting terrorism does not justify in any way the killing of civilians," he added.. Dabbashi urged multinational forces to "take all necessary measures to guarantee adequate protection for the Afghan civilians during their operations" and said the human rights of the Afghan people must be "protected and guaranteed.". Russia's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin also highlighted the "very disconcerting problem of civilian casualties" and stressed the need for "more robust efforts by ISAF and others to deal with the problem" and ensure the views of the Afghan government are respected.. His Afghan counterpart Zahir Tanin welcomed passage of the resolution, adding: "What we see today is a consensus about continuing stabilization efforts in Afghanistan.". The text however made it clear that member states taking part in ISAF are authorized "to take all necessary measures to fulfill its mandate.". It recognized the need to further strengthen ISAF to meet all its operational requirements and called on member states to contribute personnel, equipment and other resources to ISAF.. Meanwhile, France announced it would beef up its mission in Afghanistan with helicopters, drones and other military means amid debate over whether the 10 French soldiers killed there last month were poorly equipped.. The soldiers were killed and 21 others wounded in the deadliest ground battle for multinational troops that arrived in Afghanistan to topple the Taliban regime in 2001.. ISAF troops and a separate US-led coalition backed by Afghan forces are fighting an increasingly bloody insurgency from Taliban and suspected Al-Qaeda militants in the war-weary country.. In Washington, Afghanistan's defense minister proposed creating a joint force of Afghan, Pakistan and coalition troops to operate against rebels on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistan border.. Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak said the idea was broached about a month and a half ago at a meeting of senior US, Afghan and Pakistani military officials.. US administration officials are currently engaged in a broad review of its strategy in Afghanistan as well as Pakistan in response to rising insurgent violence, fueled in part by the existence of safe havens in Pakistani tribal areas along the border. — AFP
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