NATO takes command of peacekeepers in Kabul

NATO took command of international peacekeepers tasked with enforcing security in the Afghan capital, heralding the 54-year-old alliance’s first mission outside Europe.

At a ceremony in central Kabul outgoing German commander Lieutenant General Norbert van Heyst passed the flag of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to NATO Lieutenant General Goetz Gliemeroth.

“NATO’s takeover of the ISAF mission demonstrates our nations’ long-term commitment to stability, security and the future development of the Afghan people,” Gliemeroth, also of Germany, said yesterday on accepting command of the mission.