NATO chief admits Afghan failure, blames troop shortages
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
London, Oct 21, IRNA
Afghanistan-NATO
NATO's mission in Afghanistan is being undermined by troop shortages and by the numerous operational restrictions which individual nations continue to impose on their troops, according to the alliance's supreme military commander.
In a scathing attack on member states for reneging on their promises, General John Craddock criticized the failure of NATO countries to send more combat troops to Afghanistan, saying it revealed a "wavering" political will.
"It is this wavering political will that impedes operational progress and brings into question the relevance of the alliance here in the 21st century," he warned in an address to Royal United Services Institute in London on Monday.
His criticism comes at a time of concern about the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan and the prospect of escalating violence in the run-up to the country's presidential and assembly elections due next year.
Referring to what he called "real shortcomings" in NATO, the American general said there were more than 70 caveats - national operational restrictions - imposed by different alliance governments on their soldiers in Afghanistan.
He described NATO's operations in Afghanistan as "disjointed in time and space" and as an example said that counter-narcotics was the responsibility of the Afghan government but could not take on that task on its own.
"The money from the narcotics trade is feeding the insurgency," Craddock warned.
"It buys weapons and pays fighters that kill soldiers and Afghan citizens alike. It is a cancer - contributing to corruption, impeding legitimate commerce and undermining governance," he said.
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