NATO: Afghan Mission to Focus on Protecting People, Roads, Development
VOA News 22 December 2009
At a joint news conference in Kabul with President Hamid Karzai, Secretary- General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that in 2010 NATO will "focus much more" on protecting the population, roads and development projects. He said the NATO mission is entering a new phase with the addition of almost 40,000 additional troops. He said the mission will bring more security to the Afghan people and will turn over more and more responsibility to the Afghan government.
The secretary-general also congratulated Mr. Karzai for nominating a new Cabinet.
A key early test for Mr. Karzai's second term in office is the makeup of his newly appointed Cabinet ministers and how they are received by the international community. The president has been under pressure from world leaders to appoint competent officials who resist corruption.
Meanwhile, NATO forces say Afghan-led forces killed "a few" militants and detained another in operations in Ghazni province Monday night.
In Kandahar province, a NATO statement said a joint security force killed a couple of militants while pursuing a Taliban commander.
President Karzai Tuesday also addressed questions about how the government is handling the killing of one of his cousins. The New York Times newspaper reported earlier this week that 18-year-old Waheed Karzai was shot dead in October in Kandahar province.
The newspaper says some relatives believe the shooting was carried out by another relative as a revenge killing for a family death some 30 years ago. The accusers say they believe their relatives are protecting the killer. President Karzai says he has ordered the interior ministry to investigate.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
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