NATO has expanded its operations in Afghanistan since its forces first deployed there three years ago. Some 18,000 troops are now operating under NATO in the northern, western, and now southern regions. This force is roughly the same size as the U.S.-led “coalition” invasion forces that overthrew the Taliban-led government there in 2001 and continues to operate under an independent U.S. command.

The U.S.-led force will still be operating throughout the country, including in areas under NATO command, NATO spokesman James Appathurai said July 26. It will center its operations in eastern Afghanistan, another region where the occupation forces have engaged in intense combat.

NATO secretary general Jaap De Hoop Scheffer called the mission in the south “one of the most challenging tasks NATO has ever taken on.” It is the first major ground combat operation the alliance has engaged in since the end of the Cold War.

British lieutenant general David Richards, commander of the 8,000-strong NATO force that will deploy in the south, “indicated NATO would continue to use the heavy firepower that has been employed by the coalition in recent months in response to an escalation in militant attacks,” the Associated Press reported July 31.

More than 800 Afghans have been killed in fighting there since May, and 50 soldiers from the U.S.-led coalition have died since February, U.S. major general Benjamin Freakey told the media at the end of July.

The NATO force in the south will be composed primarily of British, Canadian, and Dutch soldiers. It also includes Australian, Estonian, Danish, Romanian, and U.S. troops.
 
 
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