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NATO eyes rebuilding role in Afghan south

by Staff Writers
Kabul (AFP) Jul 29, 2006
The British commander of NATO forces in south Afghanistan said Saturday that his troops would focus on helping rebuild the country rather than hunting for Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants.

"That doesn't mean we will not fight," said General David Richards, who is preparing to take over command of international troops from the US-led military coalition in the south of Afghanistan next week.

But he said he hoped "the people's own desire to defend what they see developing in front of them ... will enable us to achieve success" over what he called a "reasonable" period of time.

"The key issue for me is not whether or not we can create a greater sense of security," Richards said.

"It is that (the security is) properly and fully exploited by those who wish so much to do the reconstruction and development work that the country needs."

NATO ambassadors gave final authorisation Friday for the alliance to take command of security operations in southern Afghanistan.

The move will see the size of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) double in the south, where Taliban fighters, drug runners and warlords are waging hit-and-run attacks on foreign troops.

NATO took charge of ISAF almost three years ago.

The operation is NATO's most ambitious undertaking, eclipsing the air campaign against Serbia in 1999 when then strongman Slobodan Milosevic tried to crush an ethnic Albanian uprising in Kosovo.

Richards said that his forces in the south would also be assisted by Afghan security forces "who are expanding in numbers and capability all the time."

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Israeli army chief taken to hospital for tests: report
Jerusalem (AFP) Jul 28, 2006
The Israeli army chief of staff, General Dan Halutz, fell ill Friday and was taken to hospital for tests, Channel 10 television reported.







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