Nato ministers confident over Afghan mission

Nato defence ministers expressed confidence today that their beefed-up peacekeeping force in Afghanistan will stem the recent surge in violence as Nato troops move into the southern heartland of the deposed Taliban regime.

“Nato is coming in massively and robustly,” said Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, the alliance’s secretary general. “Nobody should be under any illusion that Nato will be chased away from that region.”

Nato is increasing its force from 9,700 to 16,000 with an expansion into Afghanistan’s volatile south region that is due to double the international force in that region by late July.

The alliance hopes to complete its expansion across the whole of Afghanistan by November by taking on the eastern sector, bringing its total number in the country to up to 25,000.

“I’m confident that Nato will be able to perform its responsibilities in Afghanistan successfully,” said US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

The deployment of more troops into former Taliban strongholds in the south has been met by a wave of attacks, including suicide bombings against international forces and their Afghan allies.

The violence has prompted fears that the south was slipping into open warfare with a revival of support for Taliban control among local people disillusioned with continued poverty.

However, Afghan Defence Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak, who joined his Nato counterparts for the first time, was hopeful Nato and Afghan government forces would soon quell the unrest.

“In a short period, I think we will see a drastic change in the security situation in the south,” he told a news conference. “I’m quite confident.”

Speaking to reporters later, Wardak said the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al-Qaida’s leader in Iraq, may have little impact on terrorism in Afghanistan.

“I don’t see any connection between the Taliban operating in Afghanistan and the death of Zarqawi,” he said. “I hope it will contribute to peace and stability in Iraq.”

Wardak said the recent violence in southern Afghanistan represented a last-ditch attempt to turn public opinion in Nato countries against the mission. But he doubted the insurgents’ ability to sustain the fighting for more than one or two months.

However, De Hoop Scheffer warned that the lack of economic development could allow resentment to fester and feed discontent with the Afghan government and its foreign backers.

He appealed for the United Nations, European Union and Group of Eight economic powers to do more to help Afghanistan.

“More resources are urgently needed for reconstruction and development,” he said.

“Nato cannot solve this problem by itself.”

The US has offered to take command of the Nato force in Afghanistan through 2007, replacing the current British general. The offer is viewed as a signal of Washington’s commitment to Afghanistan even as it hopes to reduce the level of US troops there.

The Pentagon said the US has at least 21,000 troops in Afghanistan, but there has been talk of a cut of up to 20%.

Many of those who remain will be incorporated into the Nato force as it moves south and east. However, the US will also maintain a combat force independent of Nato to hunt down Taliban and al-Qaida militants.