A Dutch soldier on duty in Kandahar earlier this month (NATO)
October 1, 2006 -- A spokesman for NATO says the alliance will take command of up to 12,000 U.S. troops and the territory they control in eastern Afghanistan in a "few days."
The planned expansion will complete the transfer of most military responsibilities in Afghanistan from the U.S.-led coalition to NATO under the command of British Lieutenant General David Richards.
But some 8,000 U.S. troops tracking Al-Qaeda terrorists will remain under direct U.S. command.
(AP)
The Afghan Insurgency
The Afghan Insurgency
HOMEGROWN OR IMPORTED? As attacks against Afghan and international forces continue relentlessly, RFE/RL hosted a briefing to discuss the nature of the Afghan insurgency. The discussion featured Marvin Weinbaum, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and RFE/RL Afghanistan analyst Amin Tarzi.
LISTEN
Listen to the entire briefing (about 83 minutes):