nato to cleanup us mess

Canadians to take leading role in Afghanistan
Updated Fri. Dec. 30 2005 7:27 PM ET
Associated Press

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — A U.S. commander expressed confidence Friday that Canadian and other NATO-led troops will aggressively keep up the fight against insurgents when they take over control of southern Afghanistan from his troops in the spring.

NATO foreign ministers approved plans earlier this month to send up to 6,000 mostly European and Canadian soldiers into volatile southern Afghanistan, while about 10,000 NATO troops continue to watch over the north and west.

The plans give the NATO troops a stronger self-defence mandate, guarantee support from U.S. combat troops if they face a serious attack and set rules for handling detainees -- all issues concerned some European allies mulling participation in the expanded force.

Canadian Col. S.J. Bowes said his force, which will assume responsibility for Kandahar, is prepared to extend the offensive nature of the operation.

"It's clear that this is not a peacekeeping mission,'' he said, although he stressed he couldn't speak for the British army, which will command the NATO mission in the south.

The British Foreign Office had no comment on the remarks by U.S. Maj.-Gen. Jason Kamiya and Bowes. However, the British Ministry of Defence said several tasks need to be carried out around the country and the British government recognizes Taliban remnants are active in southern Afghanistan.

Kamiya, the U.S.-led coalition's operational commander said NATO troops will be aggressive in the fight against insurgents.

"I feel very, very confident ... that each nation understands what the conditions are here,'' Kamiya said during a visit by Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the U.S. joint chiefs of staff, who is making a six-country tour to rally his troops during the holidays.

This year has been the deadliest in Afghanistan since a U.S.-led offensive ousted the Taliban regime in late 2001 for harbouring accused terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida training camps. More than 1,500 people have been killed as militants loyal to the Taliban, al-Qaida and other groups have stepped up attacks.

Two suspected Taliban suicide bombers died Thursday when explosives they were strapping to their bodies exploded prematurely in the south, officials said.

The blast followed a string of suicide attacks and came days after a top rebel commander said more than 200 insurgents are willing to kill themselves in assaults on U.S. troops and their allies.

Kamiya dismissed the claim by Mullah Dadullah as propaganda but acknowledged such attacks have been rising.

"Suicide bombers were almost non-existent when we came here in March. What we did notice though is that the rise in suicide bombings began in June,'' he said.

"The enemy began to realize that every time he came at us directly he would always lose great numbers of fighters and insurgents. So, this caused him to adapt his tactics.''

Unlike in Iraq, suicide attacks were relatively rare in Afghanistan until September, fuelling fears rebels could be adopting tactics used in the Middle East.

There have been about a dozen such attacks the last few months, including twin assaults in the Afghan capital Kabul on Nov. 14 that targeted NATO-led troops and killed a German soldier and eight Afghans.

A suicide bomber also set off explosives near a U.S. and Afghan military convoy in Kandahar on Dec. 11, killing himself and wounding three civilians. A week earlier, a suicide bomber killed a civilian and wounded a Canadian soldier.

U.S. Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld announced earlier this month the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan will be cut from 19,000 to about 16,500 by spring but he cautioned removing forces too quickly could impede the long-term hunt for terrorists.