ISAF Strategy Published

NATO leaders have published a strategy for the NATO-led ISAF - the International Security Assistance Force. The short declaration says that:

Our vision of success is clear: extremism and terrorism will no longer pose a threat to stability; Afghan National Security Forces will be in the lead and self-sufficient; and the Afghan Government will be able to extend the reach of good governance, reconstruction, and development throughout the country to the benefit of all its citizens. This declaration is supported by a medium-term, internal political-military plan - consistent with the Afghanistan Compact and the Afghan National Development Strategy - which will be updated regularly and against which we will measure progress.

The political-military plan remains classified, and is reported to set out conditions the Afghan government must fulfill and the time-frame within which they must do so, in order to continue to receive Alliance assistance.

The document notes that:

Success requires a comprehensive approach across security, governance and development efforts and between all local and international partners in support of the Afghan Government.
It goes on to list a series of measures that NATO, the UN and other institutions will undertake to assist the Afghan government. Reuters is reporting that NATO has committed itself to ".. provide the training teams and help provide the equipment needed to meet the goal of an effective 80,000-strong Afghan army by 2010."

Disagreement remain. The Australian government, for example, wanted a firm commitment to a drug eradication programme with funds to support farmers growing alternative crops - that was not approved.