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| Updated: 02-Nov-2006 | NATO Speeches |
Kabul, 2 Nov 2006 |
Kabul Podcast Audio report by Mark Laity, NATO's civilian spokesman in Afghanistan
Six months. At one and the same time it seems both the shortest and the longest six months of my working life. A kaleidoscope of events, an endless ‘to do’ list, and days that so often stretch long into nights – and then when you look back the time has flashed by. The new boys of ISAF 9 are now, almost without noticing, the old hands, and just around the corner is the new ISAF 10, with the first of the new staff arriving in November. So much done, so much still to do. And we have certainly done a lot. On May 4 when ISAF 9 took over we provided security assistance for half the country, the easier half, and now we have responsibility for it all with three times as many forces. That plunged us into an active insurgency and by far the toughest combat in NATO’s long history. It was a massive test for ISAF and NATO, the Taleban had boasted to Afghans that they could successfully take us on in fighting, but instead they were heavily defeated in direct combat. It was an important message to Afghans who needed to be reassured that we were up to the job of providing security and defeating a vicious and persistent enemy. Now they know we are. But of course we also know that’s just the start. Success in the summer fighting may have been a precondition for progress, but it’s far from the whole story. And neither have the insurgents given up – not that we ever expected them to. So in Operation Medusa, having pushed them out of large areas to the South West of Kandahar, they are now trying to re-infiltrate back in classic guerrilla style. They’re mostly avoiding direct combat how – they’ve learnt that lesson – but with their suicide bombers, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and hit and run tactics, they’re still a threat. So the job of safeguarding the area continues, as we always knew it would. As we try to bring in the aid and improved governance that will ensure the continuing support of the local people then the Taleban will try to disrupt it, to produce disillusionment with the government through systematically attempting to undermine progress. In a very real sense the struggle in the south is now between the success of the government and international community’s vision of the future and the Taleban’s attempt to ferment despair. So the hearts and minds of the people are at the centre of the struggle, which is one reason why we go to such lengths to minimise civilian deaths. For the insurgents putting the population in harm’s way is a key tactic, and they use civilians as a form of protective cloak for their own activities. On the one hand they know mixing amongst civilians, fighting from their homes and schools, inhibits ISAF’s use of weapons, and then if civilians die they try to reap a propaganda benefit. While it can be frustrating when others fail to see through the transparent cynicism of the insurgent tactic we also know we just have to live with the problem and keep trying to both fight the insurgents and protect civilians. Already our Rules of Engagement place multiple limits on when and what types of weapons we can use. Routinely missions are aborted because of the possible risk to civilians. In two months of intense combat with several hundred close air support missions only a very few have led to civilian deaths – and every time we are aware of civilian casualties there’s an investigation on what went wrong, and whether there are lessons to be learnt. I’m on the inside, and I know that the risk to civilians is never, never, treated casually – it’s a pity the Taleban don’t have the same attitude. Meanwhile the centre of effort in ISAF is now on what’s known as Operation Oqab, which means Eagle in Dari, a joint ISAF/Afghan army nationwide campaign lasting through the next few months. Having been successful in the summer fighting against the Taliban ISAF can’t afford to let the momentum slip. For although the image is often of continuous fighting, and combat does continue, in fact there has been a steep decline in the fighting and ISAF casualties. From its early September peak in the south the number of significant military actions has declined by over 60%. This is an opportunity we are determined to exploit. There is something of a myth that due to the weather everything in Afghanistan shuts down through the winter, but although that may be true in the more mountainous areas in the low-lying south operations can and will continue. The result will be a whole series of connected operations, jointly run with the Afghan army, to maintain and improve freedom of movement and allow development to continue or get going in key areas. For all the fighting no-one has forgotten that success in a counter-insurgency will come from the combination of security, development and governance over the long haul. So there will be no rest for ISAF 9 as it enters its final three months. As I said at the beginning, so much done, so much to do. |
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