NATO mission in Afghanistan expands to east on Thursday

The NATO-led peacekeeping force in Afghanistan takes over authority of the east of the country from the U.S.-led coalition on Thursday, NATO spokesman James Appathurai told reporters on Wednesday.

With this transfer, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which initially was deployed in the capital of Kabul only, would have covered the whole country.

Appathurai said by doing so, NATO is meeting the UN mandate to conduct operations throughout Afghanistan in support of the Afghan government and to create the conditions for reconstruction and development.

The actual transfer of authority would take place at 0000 GMT Thursday, Appathurai told a regular press briefing in Brussels.

"NATO would therefore complete the expansion of its mission to the east (of Afghanistan)," said the spokesman.

With the transfer of authority, 12,000 coalition troops, mainly Americans, would be put under NATO command, bringing the total number of troops under NATO control to 32,000 to 33,000.

The coalition troops were engaged in "Operation Enduring Freedom " against Taliban militants.

Appathurai said the transfer of the 12,000 coalition troops to NATO command is a demonstration of continuing U.S. commitment and engagement in Afghanistan both to the NATO framework and coalition operations.

"There should be no doubt of the continuing U.S. commitment to Afghanistan and to the NATO mission," he said.

The transfer of authority in the east of Afghanistan was endorsed by NATO defense ministers at an informal meeting in Portoroz, Slovenia, on Sept. 28.

The expansion to the east is the fourth and final stage of ISAF deployment. The first two stages were expansion to the relatively quiet north and west. At stage three, ISAF took over authority from the coalition in the volatile south of the country at the end of July 2006.

Source: Xinhua