NATO allies agreed to send more troops to Afghanistan

NATO allies agreed on 29th June to send more troops to Afghanistan, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said, adding that the alliance would also increase its focus on supporting Afghan special operations forces.

Stoltenberg, who was speaking after a meeting of defence ministers in Brussels, also said sanctuaries used by insurgents across the border in Pakistan had "to be addressed as part of the solution to the conflict."

Former President Barack Obama cut American military support in the country from about 100,000 U.S. troops in May 2011 to fewer than 10,000 American troops over four years.

NATO commanded the United Nations-mandated International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan from August 2003 to December 2014. Its mission was to enable the Afghan authorities to provide effective security across the country and ensure that it would never again be a safe haven for terrorists.

• ISAF is NATO’s longest and most challenging mission to date: at its height, the force was more than 130,000 strong with troops from 51 NATO and partner nations.
• The transition to Afghan lead for security started in 2011 and was completed in December 2014, when the ISAF operation ended and the Afghans assumed full responsibility for security.
• In January 2015, NATO launched a new non-combat Resolute Support Mission (RSM) to train, advise and assist Afghan security forces and institutions.
• In May 2016, NATO foreign ministers agreed that RSM’s presence will be sustained beyond 2016 – a final decision in that regard was taken by Allied leaders at the NATO Summit in Warsaw in July.
• Within and alongside RSM, NATO and Afghanistan will enhance their Enduring Partnership of political dialogue and practical cooperation. Following the end of RSM, NATO is expected to maintain a civilian-led presence in Afghanistan to continue to help Afghan security institutions to become self-sufficient.
• NATO and its partners are already committed to providing financial support to sustain the Afghan forces until the end of 2017 and are currently working to ensure support until the end of 2020.
• Practical cooperation in areas of mutual interest and political consultations are being strengthened through an enhanced partnership between NATO and Afghanistan, building on the Declaration on an Enduring Partnership signed at the 2010 NATO Summit in Lisbon.
• NATO’s Senior Civilian Representative represents the political leadership of the Alliance in Kabul, liaising with the government, civil society, representatives of the international community and neighbouring countries.