Nato in charge of Kabul force
2003-08-11 11:14
Kabul - Command of the international peacekeeping force in Afghanistan's capital passed to Nato on Monday, heralding the start of the 54-year-old alliance's first-ever deployment outside Europe.
Outgoing German commander Lieutenant General Norbert van Heyst handed the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) flag to Nato Lieutenant General Goetz Gliemeroth at a ceremony in Kabul, watched by Afghan President Hamid Karzai and German Defence Minister Peter Struck.
Nato's assumption of command marks the end of the biannual cycle of handing command of the 20-month old force to a new country.
"Nato's takeover of the Isaf mission demonstrates our nations' long-term commitment to stability, security and the future development of the Afghan people," Gliemeroth, also of Germany, said.
About 4 600 peacekeepers from 30 countries serve in Isaf to maintain security in Kabul.
Gliemeroth said Nato would run the mission under the same United Nations-sanctioned mandate that has existed since its creation in December 2001.
That mandate tasks the force with helping Afghan authorities keep the peace in Kabul and helping to train the nascent army and police forces.
About 300 guests, mainly military, United Nations, Nato and Afghan officials attended the ceremony at the Amani school in central Kabul.
- AFP