Pakistani paramilitary soldiers stand guard at Takta Baig check post, where trucks are parked due to road closed by authorities, Monday, Jan. 19, 2009 in Khyber tribal area near Peshawar, Pakistan. Pakistan reopened a major land supply route to U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan that was briefly closed Monday after suspected insurgents killed a soldier and wounded 14, adding urgency to efforts to secure alternative supply lines as more U.S. troops head to the region.
NATO currently relies on a force of 55,100 troops in Afghanistan, a figure which also includes Afghan soldiers.
US president-elect Barack Obama has pledged to increase the presence of US forces, and the NATO secretary general said he also expected other NATO allies to do the same.
"The US decision to send in more forces should be met by all allies, be it in the military, be it in the civilian domain. We need more forces," he said.
At the same time, de Hoop Scheffer also called on Afghan Prime Minister Hamid Karzai to do more to reduce corruption and illegal drugs trafficking in his country.
"We have paid a lot in blood and treasure to the Afghan people, and we will continue to do so ... we also need to demand more from the Afghan government," he said.
"In the fight against narcotics and in the establishment of a stronger anti-corruption drive, more is necessary."
ISAF's role in Afghanistan is set to come under scrutiny at a NATO summit in April marking the 60th anniversary of the transatlantic alliance.
Speaking to reporters, de Hoop Scheffer ruled out any NATO involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza and predicted a "gradual" rapprochement with Russia following the controversial August conflict with Georgia.
Monday, January 19, 2009
NATO Chief Told Hamid Karzai To Act On Corruption And Illegal Drugs Trafficking in Afghanistan / NATO Predicts Tough Year In Afghanistan, Wants ....
NATO Chief Told Hamid Karzai To Act On Corruption And Illegal Drugs Trafficking in Afghanistan / NATO Predicts Tough Year In Afghanistan, Wants More From Karzai
(NSI News Source Info) Brussels - January 19, 2009: NATO chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer on Monday predicted another difficult year for the alliance's peace-keeping operations in Afghanistan and called on the local government to step up its fight against corruption and drugs. NATO's secretary general said "2009 will certainly not be easy in Afghanistan.
"There will certainly be more violence, including because we put more forces on the ground," de Hoop Scheffer said at an annual reception with the press in Brussels.
The year that has just ended marked the deadliest yet for Western forces since their arrival in Afghanistan in 2001, with a total of 294 casualties reported among soldiers operating under NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and the US-led Operation Enduring Freedom. Pakistani paramilitary soldiers stand guard at Takta Baig check post, where trucks are parked due to road closed by authorities, Monday, Jan. 19, 2009 in Khyber tribal area near Peshawar, Pakistan. Pakistan reopened a major land supply route to U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan that was briefly closed Monday after suspected insurgents killed a soldier and wounded 14, adding urgency to efforts to secure alternative supply lines as more U.S. troops head to the region.
NATO currently relies on a force of 55,100 troops in Afghanistan, a figure which also includes Afghan soldiers.
US president-elect Barack Obama has pledged to increase the presence of US forces, and the NATO secretary general said he also expected other NATO allies to do the same.
"The US decision to send in more forces should be met by all allies, be it in the military, be it in the civilian domain. We need more forces," he said.
At the same time, de Hoop Scheffer also called on Afghan Prime Minister Hamid Karzai to do more to reduce corruption and illegal drugs trafficking in his country.
"We have paid a lot in blood and treasure to the Afghan people, and we will continue to do so ... we also need to demand more from the Afghan government," he said.
"In the fight against narcotics and in the establishment of a stronger anti-corruption drive, more is necessary."
ISAF's role in Afghanistan is set to come under scrutiny at a NATO summit in April marking the 60th anniversary of the transatlantic alliance.
Speaking to reporters, de Hoop Scheffer ruled out any NATO involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza and predicted a "gradual" rapprochement with Russia following the controversial August conflict with Georgia.
Pakistani paramilitary soldiers stand guard at Takta Baig check post, where trucks are parked due to road closed by authorities, Monday, Jan. 19, 2009 in Khyber tribal area near Peshawar, Pakistan. Pakistan reopened a major land supply route to U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan that was briefly closed Monday after suspected insurgents killed a soldier and wounded 14, adding urgency to efforts to secure alternative supply lines as more U.S. troops head to the region.
NATO currently relies on a force of 55,100 troops in Afghanistan, a figure which also includes Afghan soldiers.
US president-elect Barack Obama has pledged to increase the presence of US forces, and the NATO secretary general said he also expected other NATO allies to do the same.
"The US decision to send in more forces should be met by all allies, be it in the military, be it in the civilian domain. We need more forces," he said.
At the same time, de Hoop Scheffer also called on Afghan Prime Minister Hamid Karzai to do more to reduce corruption and illegal drugs trafficking in his country.
"We have paid a lot in blood and treasure to the Afghan people, and we will continue to do so ... we also need to demand more from the Afghan government," he said.
"In the fight against narcotics and in the establishment of a stronger anti-corruption drive, more is necessary."
ISAF's role in Afghanistan is set to come under scrutiny at a NATO summit in April marking the 60th anniversary of the transatlantic alliance.
Speaking to reporters, de Hoop Scheffer ruled out any NATO involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza and predicted a "gradual" rapprochement with Russia following the controversial August conflict with Georgia.
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