4 Aug 2006

NATO will stand up for Afghanistan News 04/08/06 - SHAPE 3 ISAF soldiers killed, 6 wounded in firefight with insurgents in Kandahar Province Background NATO in Afghanistan Links NATO ISAF website Commenting on the death on 3 August of three Canadian soldiers from the NATO-led force in Afghanistan, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said the Alliance will continue to challenge those who try to wreck the future of Afghanistan. "NATO will stand up to the insurgents and terrorists whose only goal is to wreck the future of Afghanistan. Our military will continue their mission with the full backing of the Allies and international community," said Mr. De Hoop Scheffer. The Secretary General said he was deeply saddened by news of the fatal casualties suffered by the Canadian ISAF troops. "They have made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of peace and I offer my deepest condolences to the loved ones of the victims, as well as the families of those wounded,” said Mr. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. “My thoughts are also with the closest of kin of the Afghan families brutally killed in the bomb attack." Three soldiers were killed and six others were wounded in an attack on 3 August by suspected Taliban insurgents armed near the village of Pashmul, West of Kandahar City. They were working with Afghan forces to improve security along Highway 1. The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is assisting the Afghan Government in extending and exercising its authority across the country, creating the conditions for stabilisation and reconstruction. From 31 July, NATO-ISAF is leading some 18,500 troops from 37 countries in Kabul, the north, west and south of the country and running 13 Provincial Reconstruction Teams. This is NATO’s first and largest ground operation outside Europe.