Revised operational plan for NATO’s expanded mission in Afghanistan

The Plan addresses the tasks and challenges ISAF faces as it expands its area of operations to the south and subsequently to the east of the country.

It provides the strategic focus to create the conditions for stabilisation and reconstruction across the country. It recognizes the primacy of the Afghan Government and the paramount importance of continued, coherent and consistent development of Afghan political institutions and security capability. In addition, it outlines clear arrangements for enhanced coordination and deconfliction between ISAF’s stabilisation mission and the Coalition counter-terrorism mission. It also highlights the need for ISAF to cooperate effectively with the other key international community agencies in Afghanistan, notably the UN, the EU, the G8 lead nations and the NGO community.

Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) will continue to be at the leading edge of NATO’s effort in Afghanistan. As such, ISAF stability operations will be used to create the environment required to enable reconstruction and nation building activities to continue.

ISAF's key military tasks include:

• Assisting the Afghan government in extending its authority across the country;
  
  
• Conducting stability and security operations in co-ordination with the Afghan national security forces;
  
  
• Assisting the Afghan government with the security sector reform process;
  
  
• Mentoring and supporting the Afghan national army;
  
  
• Supporting Afghan government programmes to disarm illegally armed groups.
  
  

ISAF's key supporting tasks include:

• Supporting Afghan government and internationally-sanctioned counter-narcotics efforts within limits (NOT participating in poppy eradication or destruction of processing facilities or taking military action against narcotics producers);
  
  
• On request, providing support to humanitarian assistance operations co-ordinated by Afghan government organisations;
  
  
• Supporting the Afghan national police, within means and capabilities.

What does this mean in practice?

• ISAF has a larger footprint across the country;
  
  
• ISAF has established additional PRTs;
  
  
• ISAF has established Regional Area Commands;
  
  
• Enhanced operational training support is being provided to the Afghan National Army;
  
  
• Additional forces and supporting elements have been provided to ISAF as it expands into the more operationally challenging environments in the south and east of the country.
  
  

When did this happen?

ISAF expansion to the south, known as Stage 3, took place on 31 July 2006, and to the east, Stage 4, on 5 October 2006:

• ISAF's area of operations now covers all of Afghanistan (see attached map);
  
  
• Five Regional Commands were established at: Mazar-e Sharif, Herat, Kandahar and Bagram for ISAF Regions North, West, South and East respectively and one for the capital, Kabul;
  
  
• Fifteen additional ISAF Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) were created (see attached map);
  
  
• Additional Forward Support Bases were established in Kandahar and Khost (see attached map);
  
  
• Deployment of ISAF operational mentoring and liaison teams to Afghan National Army units at various levels of command. These are small groups of experienced officers and NCOs who coach and mentor the Afghan National Army units to which they are attached;
  
  
• ISAF was increased by up some 23,000, bringing the total number to approximately 32,000.

ISAF and Operation Enduring Freedom relationship

ISAF and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), the ongoing US-led military operation in Afghanistan, continue to have separate mandates and missions. ISAF will continue to focus on its stabilisation and security mission whilst OEF will continue to carry out its counter-terrorism mission.

Clear command arrangements coordinate and, where necessary, deconflict efforts within the two missions as agreed under the auspices of the Operational Plan.