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International Security Assistance Force

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File:4RCh Afghanistan burka 130524501473834340.jpg
French Army forces, 4èmes chasseurs (27th mountain infantry brigade), in Afghanistan in 2004, passing a woman in a burqa.

The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is an international stabilization force in Kabul, Afghanistan consisting of about 9,000 personnel (about 20,000; September 2006/ 32,000 since 5 October 2006).

Authorized by the United Nations Security Council (UNSCR 1386) on December 20, 2001, the ISAF was charged with securing Kabul and its nearby Bagram air base from Taliban and al Qaida elements and factional warlords, so as to allow for the establishment and security of the Afghan Transitional Administration headed by Hamid Karzai [1].

Throughout the time, ISAF expanded the mission in four main stages over the whole of Afghanistan.

Jurisdiction

For almost two years, the ISAF mandate did not go beyond the boundaries of Kabul. According to General Norbert Van Heyst, such a deployment would require at least an extra ten thousand soldiers. The responsibility for security throughout the whole of Afghanistan was to be given to the newly-constituted Afghan National Army. However, on October 13, 2003, the Security Council voted unanimously to expand the ISAF mission beyond Kabul. Shortly thereafter, Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien said that Canadian soldiers (nearly half of the entire force at that time) would not deploy outside Kabul.

On October 24, 2003, the German Bundestag voted to send German troops to the region of Kunduz. Around 230 additional soldiers were deployed to that region, marking the first time that ISAF soldiers operated outside of Kabul.

After the Afghan National Assembly and Provincial Council elections in the fall of 2005, the Canadian base Camp Julien at Kabul closed, and remaining Canadian assets have moved to Kandahar as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in preparation for a significant deployment in January 2006.

At July 31, 2006, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force assumed command of the south of the country, ISAF Stage 3, and by October 5 also of the east of Afghanistan, ISAF stage 4.

Structure

ISAF Troops were first deployed within Kabul and designated as the Kabul Multinational Brigade. The brigade is composed of three battle groups, and is in charge of the tactical command of deployed troops. ISAF headquarters serves as the operational control center of the mission. NATO/ISAF also commands nine Provincial reconstruction teams (PRTs), with the aim of improving security and to facilitate reconstruction outside Kabul. The nine PRTs (and lead nations) are based at Baghlan (Netherlands, then Hungary at October 2006), Chaghcharan (Lithuania), Farah (US), Fayzabad (Germany), Herat (Italy), Kunduz (Germany), Mazari Sharif (UK, then Denmark/Sweden), Meymaneh (UK, then Norway), Qala-e Naw (Spain).

Throughout the 4 different stages of ISAF the number of the teams was growing. The expansion of ISAF at October 2006 to all provinces of the country brought the total number of teams at 23. The teams are led by different members of the NATO-ISAF mission.

File:2REG demining Afghanistan 040534301458462354.jpg
Years of conflicts have left Afghanistan heavily mined; here a demining robot of the French Foreign Legion combat engineers.
File:2REG demining Afghanistan 0604372617302.jpg
Not all demining is achieved by robot; here, human demining.

Security and reconstruction

Since 2006 the insurgency of the Taliban is intensifying, especially in the south of the country, where the Taliban came to rise at the early nineties. Since NATO-ISAF took over command at the south at 31 July 2006, British and Canadian ISAF soldiers in the provinces of Helmand and Kandahar came under almost daily attack. British commanders told the fighting for the British is the most fierce since 50 years, when there was the Korean war. BBC reporter Alistair Leithead, embedded with the British forces, called it at an article "Deployed to Afghanistan's hell" [2].

Because of the security situation in the south, NATO-ISAF commanders are asking the member countries to send more troops. At October 19, for example, the Dutch government decided to send more troops, because of the many attacks by suspected Taliban on their Task Force Uruzgan, which makes it very difficult to do the reconstruction work where they were comming for.

Command

ISAF command rotated among different nations on a 6-month basis. However there was tremendous difficulty securing new lead nations. To solve the problem, command was turned over indefinitely to NATO on August 11, 2003. This marked NATO's first deployment outside Europe or North America. That day, Nicholas Burns, the U.S. ambassador to NATO wrote in the Wall Street Journal that the mandate of ISAF should be expanded beyond the capital Kabul. One option he suggested would be for NATO to participate in U.S.-led "Provincial Reconstruction Teams" which were already active in trying to enforce security outside Kabul. As of June 30 2005, many Provincial Reconstruction Teams are active in the country and under the command of different NATO nations.

The history of ISAF command is as follows:

  • An American four-star general, Army Gen. Dan K. McNeil, will take charge of both U.S. and NATO forces in February 2007, pending confirmation by the Senate.

Contributing nations

The following NATO and non-NATO nations are contributing troops to the ISAF. The numbers are based in part from here; when more recent numbers are available they are given.

NATO nations

File:ISAF SV Kabul.jpg
Slovenian Armed Forces patrol in Kabul
  • Czech Republic - At the start of the Chech contribution 17. By Juni 2006 there were 100 Czech soldiers in two Czech operations.

At the airport of Kabul is a Czech ACR contingent deployed. The task of the ACR contingent - the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Detachment) - is, first, the keeping minefield awareness and anti-explosives protection of the KAIA International Airport in Kabul, and, second, the contribution of the Czech personnel to air traffic weather service. The Number of Czech military personnel on this operation is 17 (to 1 June 2006).

The Czech 102nd Reconnaissance Battalion have been part of a provincial reconstruction team at Fayzabad, Badakshan province, since 9 March 2005. Their task is to support security in the area, to protect international units, and to cooperate with local people in reconstruction of their homeland. Czech scouts are assigned to the team of about 200 soldiers together with Danes and soldiers of the German Bundeswehr. The number of Czech military personnel on this operation is 83 (to 1 june 2006). [3]

The number of troops is expected to rise to 150 by the end of the year when the Czechs take command of Kabul's airport. At the end of September 2006, the Czech Republic's defense ministry said, it plans to contribute up to 190 troops to the force next year. The move still must be approved by the government and parliament. [4]

  • Denmark - 389. Three were killed in an ordnance disposal explosion along with two Germans. Danish soldiers are attached to the German-led PRT at Fayzabad (Badakhshan).
  • France - 742 ; the fourth largest ISAF contingent. Nine French soldiers have been killed as part of ISAF and OEF: 2 in a vehicle accident, and 7 in various ambushes and gunbattles.
  • Germany - 3,000, making Germany the largest contributor to the ISAF. 18 have been killed: 7 in an accidental helicopter crash, 4 in accidental disposal explosions, one in a vehicle accident and 6 in ambushes and attacks.
  • Greece - 171, some stationed at Kabul airport and others at hospitals. There are around 130 soldiers and 45 air force personnel. At least two were wounded in a suicide attack in November 2005.
  • Italy - 506. Six have died under ISAF: one in a vehicle accident, one as a result of an accidental weapon discharge, one in an accidental civilian plane crash, one due to a heart attack and two in a roadside bombing.
  • Lithuania - 115: In June 2005 ISAF established in Chaghcharan, the capital of Ghowr province, a Lithuanian Provincional Reconstruction Team in which Danish, US and Icelandic troops also serve.
  • Netherlands - 1670 - 250 in Kabul, consisting of F-16 and C-130 detachments and a logistics unit. 200 in Kandahar, consisting of a Cougar(helicopter) detachment and a logistical unit. 200 in Deh Rawod (Uruzgan) consisting of a PRT, logistics and an infantry company. 1000 in Tarin Kowt (Uruzgan) consisting of a PRT, logistics, engineering, two infantry companies and an AH-64 Apache detachment. 3 Dutch personnel have been killed, 2 in an accidental helicopter crash and 1 in an accidental F-16 crash in 2006.
  • Norway - 450 - 1 Norwegian soldier killed in an ambush in Kabul, 2004. Several others were wounded in hostile and non-hostile acts spanning 2001-2006 (ISAF and OEF).
  • Poland - 100 (an additional 1,000 troops due in February 2007)
  • Portugal - 156. One soldier was killed when his vehicle was struck by an exploding roadside bomb.
  • Romania - 72. Four have been killed: One in a firefight which later claimed the life of another badly wounded soldier, one in a landmine explosion, and one in a roadside bombing which severely damaged a Romanian tank.
  • Spain – Approximately 800. 18 died in a helicopter crash in August 2005, while 62 Spanish soldiers were killed in May 2003 when their plane crashed in Turkey as it was returning home. Another soldier was killed in a bombing.
  • Turkey – 825 ; the third largest contingent and the only Muslim country in the ISAF. Turkey's responsibilities include providing security for Kabul and western regions of the country, as well as providing reconstruction teams.
  • United Kingdom – 461. (At September 2006, some 4,000 British troops are in the province Helmand, with the figure set to rise to around 4,500. A further 1,000 are in the capital Kabul and a few hundred are in the southern city of Kandahar. British commanders on the ground are asking time after time for reinforcements)

The UK was one of the first countries to join the US-led coalition into Afghanistan. (6 soldiers have died as part of ISAF (as well as 31 under OEF): one was murdered by a comrade (who then committed suicide), one died in an accidental weapon discharge, 2 were killed in separate suicide bombings and one died in a firefight.)

(7 October 2006) Currently there are 5,500 British troops deployed in Afghanistan. That figure will rise to 5,800 in October. Of those already in Afghanistan, 1,300 are in Kabul and 4,200 are in the southern province of Helmand.

They are there to help train Afghan security forces, facilitate reconstruction, and provide security. But over the last few months, the situation in the north of Helmand has turned increasingly violent, with British troops involved in fierce fire fights against the Taleban and anti-coalition militia (ACM).

British troops have been involved in clashes in the towns of Sangin, Musa Qaleh, Kajaki and Nawzad. The article Q&A: UK troops in Afghanistan (BBC News) gives also a list of the British units which are taking part in the ISAF mission. [5]. According to this article, ISAF is also being backed by 28,600 troops of the Afghan National Army and 30,200 Afghan policemen, whom are described by the British Ministry of Defence as "fully equipped and trained".

File:7BCA Afghanistan 0604353018476.jpg
The contrast between Western soldiers and the Afghan population is striking.

Partner nations

  • Albania - 22
  • Austria - 3 (Kabul, 4 (September, 2006) [6]
  • Azerbaijan - 22
  • Croatia - 147
  • Finland - 100
  • Macedonia – 20
  • Ireland - 10
  • Sweden - 220 troops. One soldier from the elite unit SSG was killed in an IED attack on 25 November, 2005; while a seriously wounded comrade died of his wounds several days later. As a result, one month later the Swedish parliament voted to double Sweden's contribution to ISAF.
  • Switzerland - 4

Non-NATO / Non-EAPC nations

Coalition casualties in Afghanistan

Main article: Coalition casualties in Afghanistan

Timeline

  • Between February and July 2002, Portugal sent a sanitary team and an air team to ISAF.
  • In November, 2002 ISAF, consisting of 4,650 troops from over 20 countries, was led by Turkey. Around 1,200 German troops were serving in the force alongside 250 Dutch soldiers operating as part of a German-led battalion.
  • In March, 2003 ISAF was comprised of 4,700 troops from 28 countries.
  • On June 7, 2003 in Kabul, a taxi packed with explosives rammed a bus carrying German ISAF personnel, killing four soldiers and wounding 29 others; one Afghan bystander was killed and 10 Afghan bystanders were wounded. The 33 German soldiers, after months on duty in Kabul, were en route to the Kabul International Airport for their flight home to Germany. At the time, Germans soldiers made up more than 40% of ISAF.
  • A study by Care International in the summer of 2003 reported that Kosovo had one peacekeeper to 48 people, East Timor one for every 86, while Afghanistan has just one for every 5,380 people.
  • August, 2003, ISAF consisted of 5,000 troops from more than 30 countries. About 90% of the force were contributed by NATO countries. 1,950 were Canadian, by far the largest single contingent. However, other reports suggested that about 2,000 German troops were involved. Romania had about 400 troops at the time.
  • As late as November, 2003, the entire ISAF force had three helicopters.
  • In May 2004, Turkey sent three helicopters and 56 flight and maintenance personnel to work in ISAF.
  • In August 2004, Britain announced that 6 Royal Air Force Harrier GR7 jets from No. 3 Squadron would deploy to Afghanistan, marking the first time RAF fighter jets have been deployed to the country. They fully arrived in September.
  • In September 2004, a Spanish battalion (about 800 men) arrived to provide the ISAF Quick Reaction Force, and an Italian battalion (up to 1,000 troops) arrived to provide the in-theatre Operational Reserve Force. With a force of 100, Georgia became the first Commonwealth of Independent States country to send an operational force to Afghanistan.

ISAF Stage 2

  • In May 2005 ISAF Stage II took place, doubling the size of the territory ISAF was responsible for. The new area was the former US Regional Command West consisting of Baghdis, Farah, Ghor, and Herat Provinces.
  • On January 27, 2006, it was announced in the British Parliament that the NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) would be replacing the U.S troops in Helmand province as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. The British 16th Air Assault Brigade would be the core of the force in Helmand Province.
  • On May 22, 2006, A British Army WAH-64 Apache gunship fired a hellfire missile to destroy a French armoured jeep that had been disabled during a firefight with Taliban forces in North Helmand province the previous day, as it was decided that attempting to recover the vehicle would have been too dangerous. This is the first time UK Apaches have opened fire in a hostile theatre and this would be, in a fashion, the WAH-64's first "combat kill".

ISAF Stage 3

  • 31 July 2006: The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force also assumed command in six provinces of the south. Led by the UK and Canada, 8,000 soldiers are now positioned there.
  • With the Taliban regrouping, especially in its birthplace of Kandahar province bordering Pakistan, NATO launched its biggest offensive against the guerrillas at the weekend of September 2 and September 3 2006 (Operation Medusa). NATO says it has killed more than 250 Taliban fighters, but the Taliban says NATO casualty estimates are exaggerated.
  • On 28 September 2006, the North Atlantic Council gave final authorisation for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (NATO-ISAF) to expand its area of operations to 14 additional provinces in the east of Afghanistan, boosting NATO’s presence and role in the country. With this further expansion, NATO-ISAF will assist the Government of Afghanistan in providing security throughout the whole of the country. [8].

The expansion will see the NATO-ISAF controlling 32,000 troops from 37 countries, although the alliance is already struggling to find extra troops to hold off a spiralling Taliban-led insurgency in the volatile south.

ISAF Stage 4

  • 5 October 2006: NATO has also taken charge of Afghanistan's eastern provinces (NATO-ISAF stage 4), which have been under the control of US forces since the Taliban were ousted five years ago. (10,000 coalition troops more moved under NATO command. 31,000 ISAF troops are now in Afghanistan. 8,000 US troops continue training and counter-terrorism separately).
  • 21 October: The Canadian government is growing increasingly frustrated over the unwillingness of mainly European NATO members to deploy troops to help fight mounting Taliban resistance in the south. [9]

Further reading

  • Sean M. Maloney, Enduring The Freedom: A Rogue Historian In Afghanistan.(Dulles: Potomac Books, Incorporated, 2005)


See also

Wikinews has related news:
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