BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - The United States has offered to take command of the NATO force in Afghanistan next year following the current British stint in charge of the expanding peacekeeping mission, diplomats said Tuesday.
The handover to a U.S. general is expected to take place in February as part of an overhaul of the NATO mission. The changes will include introducing a more flexible, multinational headquarters to replace the system of rotating national commands which has been in place since the start of the operation in August 2003.
One senior NATO diplomat said the offer reflects the U.S. commitment to Afghanistan even as the expansion of the NATO mission into the volatile south and east of Afghanistan means more European and Canadian troops can free up U.S. troops currently based there. The diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers Thursday, said the U.S. would likely remain in command for a year, as the alliance drops the current system of six-month command rotations.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said his country would like to take command in 2008.
| And I think we should let them. |
NATO is scheduled to expand its peacekeeping mission from 9,000 to 16,000 by late July when it is scheduled to take on security in the dangerous southern region. Later this year, it hopes to complete its expansion by moving into the eastern sector, which will likely take its total numbers to 21,000. The U.S. is hoping to reduce its troops numbers this year from 19,000 to 16,000. The U.S. will also maintain a smaller combat force independent of NATO with the aim of hunting down Taliban and al-Qaida remnants. |