NATO to have enough ‘forces’ in Afghanistan

Suicide attack kills 9

TORONTO, Nov 16, (Agencies): NATO’s chief said Wednesday he is certain the alliance will have sufficient forces to fulfill its training mission in Afghanistan after months of lobbying allies to increase troop contributions.

Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday that NATO will meet the requirements set out by Gen John Nicholson, the top US commander for Afghanistan, who has said he needs close to 16,000 troops to fill the NATO training mission. Stoltenberg said the troop level will go from 13,000 to around 16,000.

“I’m absolutely confident that we will have sufficient forces when we move into 2018,” Stoltenberg said. “We are still receiving pledges and announcements about more troop contributions from allies.”

Stoltenberg said the troops won’t conduct combat operations but help to train and assist the Afghan security forces, notably to train special forces and build up the conflict-torn country’s air force. He spoke ahead of his attendance at the Halifax International Security Forum this weekend.

NATO officials said earlier this month the alliance came up short, meeting a bit more than 90 percent of the military requirements outlined by commanders. US military leaders, however, said then they were encouraged by the continuing discussions with several nations, who may eventually agree to increase their commitments. US Army Gen Curtis Scaparrotti, NATO’s top military officer, said in Brussels the troop commitment hadn’t been reached yet. Nicholson said a gap has contributed to the lowest level of capabilities and the “highest level of risk we faced” in the 16-year war.

“There’s still a lot of violence in Afghanistan but at the same time we’ve seen a lot of important progress,” Stoltenberg said. “The Afghans are now able to respond every time the insurgents and the Taleban attack ... They have also been able to prevent the insurgents or Taleban from taking over any of the provincial capitals which was a strategic goal of the Taleban this year.”

NATO countries are under pressure from US and NATO leaders to beef up their commitments. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis sent letters to some allies in recent weeks urging them to fill critical gaps. Stoltenberg said Qatar and the UAE will send troops.

The additional trainers are critical to reaching the stated US and NATO goal of building up the Afghan forces so that they can take control of their own country’s security. At the same time, officials want to use the increased military pressure to force Taleban leaders to the peace table.

“We strongly believe the best way to stabilize Afghanistan is to enable Afghans to stabilize the country themselves,” Stoltenberg said.

The 16,000 NATO number does not include other support missions or counterterrorism operations against the Taleban, Islamic State militants and other insurgents.

At least 15,000 US forces are in Afghanistan, after President Donald Trump decided to send about 3,800 troops to the country this fall to strengthen efforts to advise Afghan forces and conduct counterterrorism missions.

In its ninth year, the Halifax International Security forum attracts top defense and security officials. About 300 people gather each year. Richard Spencer, Secretary of the US Navy, and Abdullah Abdullah, the chief executive of Afghanistan, are among the speakers.

“We have to pay attention to Afghanistan,” Forum President Peter Van Praagh said.

NATO and Stoltenberg will be honored at a dinner on Friday night.

Stoltenberg

Suicide attack at wedding kills 9:

A suicide attacker blew himself up outside a wedding hall in Kabul killing at least nine people, officials said Thursday, in an apparent attempt to strike a political gathering under way inside.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, the latest to hit the war-weary Afghan capital where insurgents have been stepping up assaults in a show of deadly force.

Supporters of Atta Mohammad Noor, the powerful governor of the northern province of Balkh and vocal critic of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, had been holding an event inside the hall at the time of the blast.

The bomber tried to get into the building but was stopped at the security checkpoint where he detonated his device, Kabul police spokesman Abdul Basir Mujahid told AFP.

“A number of our police personnel are among the casualties,” Mujahid added.

Interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish said seven policemen and two civilians had been killed.

“The bomber detonated himself after he was identified by the police at the entrance gate,” Danish said.

Another nine were wounded including seven police and two civilians, Danish added. Noor was not at the event, one of his aides told AFP. “After lunch as we were exiting the hall a huge explosion shook the hall, shattering glass and causing chaos and panic,” Harun Mutaref, who was at the gathering, told AFP.

“I saw many bodies including police and civilians lying in blood.”

An AFP photographer said the windows of the wedding hall had been shattered by the force of the blast and a vehicle parked outside was on fire.

Dozens of police and intelligence officers have swarmed the area and blocked access to the public.

Head of Afghan election body sacked:

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani sacked the chairman of the country’s Independent Election Commission on Wednesday, raising doubts over whether parliamentary and council ballots scheduled for next year will take place as planned.

Najibullah Ahmadzai, head of the body charged with organizing the elections, had faced growing pressure following repeated delays to preparations for them and had lost the support of both Ghani and disillusioned foreign donors.

The 2018 votes are seen as dry runs for a presidential election in 2019 and a key test of the progress made by Afghanistan’s Western-backed government towards establishing durable democratic institutions.

Following a contentious presidential election in 2014, marred by allegations of massive voter fraud on both sides, international donor countries have laid heavy emphasis on the need for successful elections next year.