nato' change; at the front lines

almost appears when the american's can't hold onto their 'coilition of the willing'; nato is now employed. afghan serves as the template for the future of nato.

Envoy attempts to calm Afghan fears with commitment vow
Rachel Morarjee in Kabul, Finacial Times, March 7 2006

Ronald Neumann, the US ambassador to Afghanistan, said America's commitment to Afghanistan would not be compromised when Nato troops take command of the country's restive south later this year.

Mr Neumann said the US was the lead nation in Nato and the success of the Nato mission in southern Afghanistan had ramifications far beyond the country's borders. "This is the biggest mission Nato has taken on and it is a defining opportunity for the future of Nato," he said in an interview with the Financial Times.
His comments follow President George W. Bush's unscheduled stopover in Afghanistan last Wednesday on his way to India and Pakistan, where he reaffirmed US commitment to the war-torn nation.

Canada will take over command of the fightagainst the insurgency in southern Afghanistan as 6,000 British, Dutch and other Nato troops are deployed across the region in coming months.

Mr Neumann's remarks come as Afghan officials become increasingly nervous that the withdrawal of about 3,000 US troops after the handover to Nato command will signal to the Taliban that American forces are gradually pulling out of the country.

"Troops from the Dutch, the Romanians, the Canadian and the British may be very good, but their differing missions will result in confusion that militants will be able to exploit," a top Af-ghan government official said. With escalating tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, where Afghan intelligence officials believe militants are training and picking up supplies before launching attacks in Afghanistan, a major US troop presence is seen as a deterrent.

"Our neighbours have a history of hostile interference in Afghanistan, and only the US is strong enough to act as a bulwark against them," the Afghan official added.

Mr Neumann said the US would remain the lead nation of Nato and continue to provide air and logistical support, and troops in southern Afghanistan as well as leading the fight against the Taliban in the east.

"It is not acceptable for us to go away. We are a part of Nato," he said ahead of a meeting in Washington to discuss the details of a long-term strategic partnership between Afghanistan and the US later this month.

US training of the Afghan national army would also continue.

Mr Neumann said it would ensure a sizeable US presence across the country. "The idea that we would leave those people out there on their own without support is a political fallacy."