LRPV
11-01-2006, 09:59 PM
This story is from The Times
NATO switches focus to building
November 02, 2006
KABUL: The general commanding all 31,000 NATO troops in Afghanistan has pledged to focus his winter campaign on development projects rather than killing Taliban fighters.
Lieutenant General David Richards conceded that significant improvements were needed over the next few months to persuade Afghans to "keep the faith" with the NATO mission. General Richards said he aimed to switch all the efforts of his 37-nation force towards protecting and enabling "visible" reconstruction projects.
He was ready to "put a security cloak" around rebuilding programs that would make an immediate difference to the people. The shift follows months of battles in which hundreds of Afghans have been killed in some of the toughest fighting experienced by NATO troops facing a resurgent Taliban.
While not playing down the threat still posed by the Taliban, General Richards said he hoped that the "kinetic energy" that marked the first six months of his command would ease through the winter. Forty-six NATO troops have died in Afghanistan this year.
"Something that really hit me in the eye was just how important it was for the Afghan people for us to prove that we could fight and defend their areas," he said. "We did prove this but we don't need to carry on doing this in the long term and I hope the fighting element throughout the winter will be minimal compared with what our troops have had to face in the (northern) summer.
"The security situation has improved. The level of violence in the last few weeks has reduced considerably, although there are bound to be tactical blips and setbacks.
"In the last three days we have killed, wounded or captured 150 (insurgents), mostly in the southern provinces of Oruzgan and Zabul."
NATO switches focus to building
November 02, 2006
KABUL: The general commanding all 31,000 NATO troops in Afghanistan has pledged to focus his winter campaign on development projects rather than killing Taliban fighters.
Lieutenant General David Richards conceded that significant improvements were needed over the next few months to persuade Afghans to "keep the faith" with the NATO mission. General Richards said he aimed to switch all the efforts of his 37-nation force towards protecting and enabling "visible" reconstruction projects.
He was ready to "put a security cloak" around rebuilding programs that would make an immediate difference to the people. The shift follows months of battles in which hundreds of Afghans have been killed in some of the toughest fighting experienced by NATO troops facing a resurgent Taliban.
While not playing down the threat still posed by the Taliban, General Richards said he hoped that the "kinetic energy" that marked the first six months of his command would ease through the winter. Forty-six NATO troops have died in Afghanistan this year.
"Something that really hit me in the eye was just how important it was for the Afghan people for us to prove that we could fight and defend their areas," he said. "We did prove this but we don't need to carry on doing this in the long term and I hope the fighting element throughout the winter will be minimal compared with what our troops have had to face in the (northern) summer.
"The security situation has improved. The level of violence in the last few weeks has reduced considerably, although there are bound to be tactical blips and setbacks.
"In the last three days we have killed, wounded or captured 150 (insurgents), mostly in the southern provinces of Oruzgan and Zabul."