12 July 2003

Preparations for Afghanistan continue News 14/07/2003 - AFNORTH AFNORTH one step closer to Kabul 10/07/2003 - AFNORTH AFNORTH on track with deployment to Kabul 04/07/2003 - SHAPE NATO Starts Deploying First Troops to Kabul 25/06/2003 - SHAPE SACEUR Appoints ISAF Commanders 16/04/2003 - NATO Same name, same banner, same mission as NATO enhances ISAF role Background NATO in Afghanistan Key links ISAF website AFNORTH website On 12 July 2003, over 50 NATO troops arrived in Kabul as part of the continuing preparations for the Alliance’s takeover on 11 August of the peacekeeping force in Afghanistan. The troops will begin setting up the headquarters, which as of 11 August will command the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). The deployment follows the arrival of the first NATO troops in Kabul on 5 July. NATO command The North Atlantic Council, the Alliance’s top decision-making body, agreed on 16 April 2003 to significantly expand NATO’s support to ISAF. The Alliance will be responsible for the planning and command of the peacekeeping force. This will include providing a force commander and headquarters. This will be the first operation outside Europe in the Alliance’s 54-year history. Same name, same banner, same mission Neither ISAF’s name nor mission will change. The operation will continue to operate under the United Nations mandate and the ISAF banner, and the Alliance will continue to welcome non-NATO contributors. The mission will assist the Afghan Transitional Authority headed by Hamid Karzai in maintaining security in Kabul and the surrounding area so that the Authority and United Nations personnel can carry out their work in a secure environment. The operation will be conducted under the overall command of the Allied Command Operations and is run by NATO's regional headquarters Northern Europe (AFNORTH). The deployed troops are from Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, United Kingdom and the United States.