Military

SHAPE News Summary & Analysis

23 June 2003

ISAF

• Welt am Sonntag, June 22, quoted ISAF Commander, German Gen. Norbert van Heist, saying in an interview that the protection of troops serving with ISAF was being enhanced. “We are adjusting measures to conditions,” he reportedly said, explaining that he had ordered roadblocks on the main roads providing access to Kabul, together with the stepping-up of night-time patrols, which were to be equipped with suitable night vision equipment. Bunkers had been totally reconstructed, and entries to the Bundeswehr camp had been reinforced and were now protected with machine gun posts. According to the newspaper, Gen. van Heist also indicated that “we are now transporting our soldiers only in armored vehicles or helicopters.” This, he explained, is one of the main reasons why we are receiving 10 additional Fuchs armored transport vehicles as reinforcement. “We have also just decided to use electronic explosives detection equipment and tracker dogs. We intend to further expand our cooperation with the Afghans on information. We have also deployed teams for inspecting infrastructure, equipment and training. Up to now, however, there have been no indications of any need for further training. As commander in charge, I have all he resources required at my disposal. It would not be sensible to deploy heavy equipment, such as combat tanks, in Kabul,” he reportedly added. Gen. Van Heist was also quoted saying that despite a June 7 attack, which killed four German soldiers, he felt “secure working here.” Since taking over command, he said, the number of patrols has been increased on average from 45 to 78 per day. He also observed that ISAF has its own radio station and newspaper, ISAF News, published with a circulation of 110,000 both in national language and in English, in order to further enhance contact with the population. The general was said to be convinced that “98 percent of the population are happy that we are here. We are cordially welcomed. Only 2 percent, who are former Taliban or supporters of Al Qaeda and Hekmatyar cause us any trouble.”

Under the title, “Afghanistan is being lost,” a commentary in Die Welt expresses deep concerns over the situation in Afghanistan a few months prior to NATO’s takeover of the ISAF mission.
“No ray of Hope on the Horizon for Afghanistan: The Taliban are not defeated; fundamentalists, local warlords and drug dealers are fighting against the central government and its allies – and ISAF has its hands full enforcing at least a minimum of stability in the capital,” says the newspaper, adding: “In order to really help Afghanistan, stronger protection from abroad will be required. By itself, Hamid Karzai's government will not be able to hold its ground against the old-new threats advancing against Kabul from the provinces. Afghanistan's national armed forces are still in their infancy. They are not able, by far, to withstand the attacks of the Taliban, the armed drug barons smuggling goods across the border, or the advances of the provincial militia. Afghanistan is on the verge of collapse. ISAF would require a robust mandate for the whole country. The West would have to deploy troops, many thousand more troops – and they would most likely have to fight. However, none of the nations that will provide the security assistance force under NATO command from August is able or willing to do that. Unfortunate Afghanistan.”

ESDP

• In Brussels Monday, Czech ambassador to the EU, Pavel Telicka, signed an agreement between the EU and the Czech Republic on Czech participation in Operation Concordia, reports Prague’s CTK. Under the agreement, the dispatch adds, Prague agreed to send two representatives to the mission’s press and information center. The two will serve in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia until the end of the year. The Czech Republic could send another eight participants to the force should the security situation require it, the dispatch continues.

TERRORISM

• According to the BBC World Service, Greek authorities are investigating a ship carrying 680 tons of explosives which was seized as it apparently sailed for Africa. Anti-terrorist forces and army bomb experts have reportedly begun examining the cargo of ammonia dynamite. The ship, the Baltic Sky, was boarded by Greek commandos late Sunday following a tip-off, possibly from an international intelligence agency, that it had suspicious cargo on board, added the broadcast. It noted that NATO forces have been inspecting ships in the region for some time. In a similar vein, a related Reuters dispatch observes that NATO forces have been boarding ships in the eastern Mediterranean over the last few months. The dispatch quotes Greece’s Merchant Marine Ministry saying Greek elite troops boarded the Comoros-flagged ship in Greek territorial waters after receiving a tip-off that it was carrying suspicious cargo. The ministry reportedly said it had ordered the Baltic Sky, owned by a Marshall Islands registered company named Alpha Shipping, into the western Greek commercial port of Platyali for further checks.

BALKANS

• The EU and the United States will back direct talks between Serbia and Kosovo that could help end one of the last outstanding disputes to dog stability and security in the Balkans, reports the Financial Times. Diplomats hope the talks could eventually lead to Serbia and Kosovo agreeing on how they could peacefully separate from each other, with internationally recognized borders, the newspaper adds. It notes that the talks, expected to take place next month outside the region, were agreed in principle at the EU-western Balkan summit in Thessaloniki at the weekend. Unidentified diplomats are quoted saying the changing attitude toward Kosovo at the summit reflected a growing consensus by the EU and the U.S. that any stable, long-term integration into Europe by the western Balkans will not be possible until the territorial and border disputes are resolved.

TURKEY-DEFENSE

• According to AP, Turkey’ military said Sunday it was planning to reduce the size of its conscripted force by cutting the term served by those drafted in the armed forces by three months. The move is reportedly part of the military’s long-term plans to restructure the army, by turning the largely conscripted force into a more professional army better equipped to deal with non-conventional threats. The dispatch quotes a statement from the Chief of Staff’s office saying the military was planning to reduce the term of compulsory military service to 15 months from the current 18. The reductions would come into effect July 15, pending government approval, which is reportedly expected.