Kabul, Afghanistan 20 Dec. 2006	Kabul podcast with Mark Laity, NATO's civilian spokesman in Afghanistan Background NATO in Afghanistan Kabul podcast Multimedia Audio file MP3/2632kb My phone doesn’t ring as much as it used to. Throughout the summer it rarely stopped – the more the fighting, the more the phone rang. So the fact that it’s ringing less is, in one sense, good news, because it means that there is less fighting. However it’s also frustrating because it means less opportunity to talk to the media to counter some of the persisting images of an Afghanistan sliding into chaos amidst a welter of gunfire and suicide bombs. Impressions of Afghanistan seem in many cases to have frozen into the situation in August and September when intense battles were indeed the order of the day in the South at least. The North, the West and the Capital have always been calm. But the outcome of these battles was the Taleban forced to withdraw and change their tactics from confronting ISAF to sneak attacks with suicide bombs and improvised explosive devices. So in August there were over 900 significant actions, ranging from gun battles to suicide bombers, but in November there were just under 450, a decline of over 50%. That doesn’t tell the full story either, because most of the battles that still happen are neither as intense nor last as long. What’s gone up as a result are the number of development projects, especially in the south, including in some particularly tough areas such as Helmand. Things are happening, and more to the point, if we have anything to do with it, they are going to keep happening right through the winter. Traditionally things do slow down in Afghanistan in the winter, and for much of the country there’s good reason, because the weather is fierce especially over the high ground and further north. But in the southern lowlands the weather may be challenging, but is mostly possible to work in. So as the Christmas season arrives and the end of the ISAF 9 tour approaches the pace of operations is, weather permitting, still high, especially in the south. There, Operation Baaz Tsuka, Pashtun for Falcon Summit, is putting some of the key features of the ISAF strategy into effect. It’s being conducted over the same area as Operation Medusa in Kandahar province over the Summer, but this time it’s not a full-on military offensive against a 1000+ insurgents. That battle was fought and won in September, but when the shooting died down the struggle did not end. As we and the Afghan government moved in reconstruction and development the Taleban tried to reinfiltrate fighters to block progress and so create the disillusionment they want to increase their own support. The result of this clash was Falcon Summit, but our weapons are far from just guns. They are shuras, or meetings with tribal elders, routine daily contact with ordinary Afghans, humanitarian aid, building on the progress of the Summer to deal with much smaller numbers of Taleban. The result has been far less combat, but what there has been has been highly effective, successfully hitting Taleban commanders and causing confusion amongst insurgents who are finding little support from local people. Hopefully we will sustain progress and in so doing maintain the support of the people that is the key to success. We are all too aware that that support is harmed when we accidentally kill civilians, so we are now looking hard at the problems of shooting incidents when ordinary Afghans have got too close to ISAF convoys and been shot by soldiers who've been worried of being attacked by suicide bombers. Suicide attacks are now one of the biggest threats to our forces in Kandahar, but a tragic consequence has been a rise in the number of innocent Afghans killed or injured by soldiers mistakenly firing in self-defence. Reducing the numbers of such tragedies is now a high priority, but no-one should pretend its easy. First of all, the suicide threat is very real, but secondly opening fire is not done lightly. In one recent incident a vehicle drove head-on on the wrong side of the road towards an ISAF convoy that had already been attacked. The convoy flashed headlights, soldiers waved and shouted, fired several mini flares, warning shots and then shot the driver – who later proved to be innocent. So part of our problem is why, when most Afghans do take notice, a few do not heed what seem to us to be very obvious and explicit warnings. It is just one of the many issues, large and small, that means the holiday season will be very brief for ISAF. However even here there will be some relaxation, even if it is only a couple of extra lie-ins because on a few days some of those early meetings beloved of armies everywhere have been put back a few hours or even occasionally cancelled. Artificial Christmas trees and decorations, some of distinctly dubious taste, have appeared all over the HQ, Christmas Day food will be traditional, and the mail has been pouring in for the soldiers. Many serving here are well used to Christmas away, and are well-practised at making the best of enforced absences from their families. Being here may not be our choice but any fool can be miserable and we don't intend to be miserable. And just in case anyone is wondering – Afghans respect our culture and religion every bit as much as we respect theirs – although I’m not sure what they make of the plastic trees. As for me, I’m hoping my cold will not last too long and the phone doesn’t ring too much.