NATO's next Afghanistan mission to be civilian-led

[jakeXT]

ANTALYA , Turkey, May 13 (UPI) -- NATO will remain in Afghanistan after its mission concludes but with civilian leadership, the NATO chief announced Wednesday.

Speaking at a two-day summit meeting of NATO countries' foreign ministers in Antalya, Turkey, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said, "Our future presence will be led by civilians." A civilian/military will continue the role of NATO in Afghanistan, where it has been a presence for over a decade. While there has been no NATO timetable for withdrawal of the current mission, named "Resolute Support," the United States has projected its troops will leave Afghanistan by the end of 2016, which will likely mean the end of the NATO campaign.

"Everyone envisions something that is smaller than the present number of personnel," Stoltenberg added. Current troop strength, from 26 NATO nations and 14 partner nations, is about 13,000, and formal plans for the next mission will be submitted by the fall of 2015. The United States will end its management of Afghan airspace at the end of June, prompting several airliners to consider cancelling flights into Afghanistan and over its territory.

Stoltenberg praised Afghan security forces for stepping up the fight against insurgents, saying, "A lasting peace in Afghanistan requires a political solution. This has to be an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned political process and solution."

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2015/05/13/NATOs-next-Afghanistan-mission-to-be-civilian-led/3341431540144/

[JayhawkSD]

1. That, on the face of it, is absurd.

NATO is, by definition, a military mutual defense pact.

[bemildred]

2. Stalling withdrawal, by putting lipstick on the pig, to mix metaphors.

A stirring instance of bafflegab.

[bemildred]

3. Afghan forces straining to keep the Taliban at bay

KABUL — Taliban militants are expanding their reach into new areas of Afghanistan, straining security forces who are locked in some of the bloodiest battles of the 13-year-old insurgency, provincial and local law-enforcement officials said.

In the first spring fighting season since the U.S.-led coalition ended combat operations in Afghanistan, heavy clashes are being reported in at least 10 Afghan provinces. The provinces are located in every corner of the country, creating widespread unease about whether the Afghan government and army can repel the threat.

“This is the worst fighting season in a decade,” said Attiqullah Amerkhil, a Kabul-based political and military analyst. “There is now fighting in every part of the country.”

Such dire assessments have become something of an annual tradition here, where it’s difficult for analysts and journalists to safely obtain information from rural areas of the country. But coalition statistics and interviews with nearly two dozen provincial officials suggest security is indeed worsening in many areas of the country this year.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/afghan-forces-straining-to-keep-the-taliban-at-bay/2015/05/16/5bf9b14e-f970-11e4-9ef4-1bb7ce3b3fb7_story.html