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Afghan forces to take charge of Kabul security: ministry
Kabul (AFP) Aug 13, 2008 The Afghan army will this month take charge of security in Kabul in the first such handover from the NATO-led force that arrived in 2001, the defence ministry said Wednesday. The move, to be marked with a ceremony on August 28, will bring little visible change in the capital but is a symbolic acknowledgement of the growth of the Afghan defence forces, officials said. "The security responsibility of the capital, Kabul, will be handed to the national army and Afghan security forces on August 28," a statement from the defence ministry said. "This move is the beginning of Afghan security forces taking responsibilities of security from NATO which, with the further growth of the forces, will expand all over Afghanistan." The Afghan army was destroyed during the civil war of the early 1990s and subsequent rule of the Taliban from 1996 to 2001. The US-led forces that invaded in late 2001 and ousted the Taliban regime for harbouring Al-Qaeda have been helping to rebuild the army, which now numbers about 70,000 soldiers for a population of between 26 and 30 million. The Afghan army already takes the lead in some operations and commanders of the nearly 70,000 international troops in the country aim to steadily hand over more responsibility. "There are a number of NATO troops currently responsible for Kabul security," ministry spokesman General Mohammad Zahir Azimi told AFP. "They are patrolling the city. Once the handover takes place, we'll take those responsibilities," Azimi said. There is already a heavy police presence in the city, with dozens of checkposts. Azimi told reporters at the weekend the handover would see international troops involved in military operations leave the city. "But those involved in training Afghan security forces, with logistics, or with administrative issues, they will remain in Kabul," he said. There are also no immediate plans to move the several military bases in the capital. "When the full transfer of leadership will take place, it will not be immediately obvious," NATO spokesman Mark Laity said at the weekend. "What will happen will be vital, the Afghans taking full charge of Kabul, but on the streets, it will not look so different," he said. "It's rather a symbolic move showing that we're growing," an Afghan security official agreed, asking anonymity. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Share This Article With Planet Earth
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