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| Updated: 18-Aug-2006 | NATO Speeches |
Kabul, 31 July 2006 |
Kabul Podcast Audio report by Mark Laity, NATO's civilian spokesman in Afghanistan
Q: Mark, thanks for joining us on the line today from Kabul . The decision has been made for NATO to go south in Afghanistan . What is the mood like in Kabul? MARK LAITY (NATO Civilian Spokesman in Afghanistan): I'd say the mood in Kabul is a combination of excitement and relief. When you look at the headquarters that's here - the ISAF HQ - they've been preparing for this for 18 months. I don't think we've ever had a better prepared headquarters and I think they just want to get on and do the job now. It's not an easy job; it's a very difficult one, but I think they've had enough planning, they've had enough preparation. Now let's just get on it and that's where the relief comes. And they do feel really up to the job. There's a palpable sense of anticipation and excitement about doing this because they all know that for NATO this is really a historic time. Because what we've had before in the north and west - difficult jobs, same as in Bosnia and Kosovo - but this is really very close to a normal combat operation and this is new territory for NATO. But let's have no mistake about that: new territory and they are going to be leading the way. They are well prepared for it; the headquarters is well prepared; you've got large forces; you've got helicopters... they are robust, they are well-equipped. But this is new and I think they are very excited to be leading the way. Q: Picking up on one thing that you said - there's been a lot of comment about how challenging the mission is. How do you react to this? LAITY: Well the answer is yes; it is challenging. The whole Afghanistan mission has been very challenging for everyone involved: the coalition, the United States who have led way, then NATO-ISAF. This is very difficult. You've got a country which has been destroyed almost by decades of civil war, by invasion, by corruption, law and order problems and so on. They are really starting from a very long way back and to rebuild that is very, very difficult. And at the same time you've still got significant elements - people like the Taliban, other insurgents, drug traffickers. That is hugely difficult. So I don't think anyone should underestimate the size of the challenge and I'm not surprised that people are always saying well it's much more difficult than you predicted. I answered a question of somebody the other day: was it different to what we expected? Well actually it is, but life is always like that. Since when has a plan gone exactly to expectation? But it is perhaps a little bit different. We perhaps didn't predict exactly what would happen. But I don't think anything is happening that we're looking at it and thinking we're not ready for it, we can't do it. So definitely more challenging; definitely the most challenging thing we've done. But I just think it's simply wrong for people to believe that we're not up to this job. You look at what's happening in the south. There is far, far more troops on the ground: the Americans, the Canadians, the Australians, the Dutch, the British, Estonians, Romanians. Which means that we can be much more ambitious in what we're trying to do - put more people on the ground, have them occupying ground, setting the scene, making the way for stability and governance. So I think that's really exciting and I think that one of the reasons that people are seeing a lot of fighting is that the insurgents know the territory they believed was more or less their own is now being contested. I think because there were relatively few troops in some of these areas, they have built up I think what you would call shadow administrations, where they felt safe, where they felt secure. And now they don't and that's because over the last few months as the NATO build-up has taken place, the coalition has been competing in these spaces and that's why we've seen a lot of fighting. And when there has been fighting the outcome has invariably been that the governing forces, that the coalition, that the British, the Canadians, that they have won. They have decisively defeated the insurgents and I think that's what will continue to happen. Q: Mark as you said momentous times form NATO. How different will NATO and Afghanistan be after the expansion? LAITY: Well I think that goes back to one point I mentioned briefly which is that the American forces, the American led coalition, have done a superb job. They have done a really good job. But in the south they have not had as many troops as they have for instance with their forces in the east. And that means that often they've gone into an area, they've done good work, but then they've moved on and the Taliban has slowly moved back. And so there's been, to be honest, significant parts of the south where insurgents have had more influence and more control than they should. With the substantial increase in forces that NATO are bringing it should enable us to maintain a presence on the ground; to be there much more consistently. And by being there much more consistently, it means that we can have a stable area of security to bring in development and governance. And we need that time and that space to allow the development to happen and we'll be helped by the Afghan National Security forces. These are rapidly improving soldiers and policemen who will be alongside us and they will be able to take up a lot of this ground and they will be able to defend it for themselves supported by us. And I think it's always best in that sense to remember one of the things that the Secretary General has said: that success in the south depends like a three-legged stool - security, governance and development - and all three support each other. And a phrase that I think is very valid is to say that development without security can't start; security without development can't last and that's what we need to do. We are not just there to fight; we're fighting for a purpose, to bring security into that area which then allows the government to gain more control and for the development to start because we have to win over the hearts and minds of the people. We have to prove to the people of Afghanistan that they benefit from our presence and I personally I'm 100 percent sure they do. I have no doubts about that and you're seeing that in the north and the west. You are seeing that in the east. In the south we've lagged behind. There have been improvements there. Thy have not received the publicity they deserve. But we need to do better and that's what our challenge is and that's what the Commander of ISAF and all the troops under him are determined to do. Q: Mark thank you very much. We'll be looking forward to hearing from you again in a week. LAITY: Thank you. |
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