Afghanistan ready to take on security role

China Daily, May 12, 2011

Afghanistan is confident of taking over responsibility for security and defense in the country after NATO-led forces start to withdraw in July, Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul said on Wednesday.

On the third day of his visit to Beijing, Rassoul said that the death of al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden has also made the transition process "easier".

The death of bin Laden may speed up reconciliation between the Taliban and the Afghan government, but the process is just starting, Rassoul cautioned, adding that the threat of terrorism would not go away.

The handover from NATO to Afghan forces starts in July and will see the withdrawal of more than 100,000 troops by the end of 2014.

"Based on the current schedule, in the first stage, the Afghanistan Security Forces will take over security in seven provinces in central, eastern, southern and northern Afghanistan," Rassoul said.

Afghanistan will speed up the process of equipping its security forces in the next four years, so they can cope with the security situation in the country, he added.

Rassoul said the country's police, security forces and army can cope if they have sufficient training and equipment.

Security in the war-torn country has become a major concern since bin Laden's death.

Despite the government's confidence, questions remain over what impact the terror mastermind's death will have on Afghanistan.

US Major General John Campbell, commander of international forces in eastern Afghanistan, said bin Laden's death was a blow to the Taliban insurgency and may lead some fighters to lay down their arms, but the war in Afghanistan is far from over.

About 100 Taliban fighters were reported on Wednesday to have attacked a northern Afghan village and a villager and 17 militants were killed. Meanwhile, NATO said a bomb killed a coalition service member in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday.

A bombing on Tuesday also wounded a member of a US Marines unit in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, forcing the pilot of a Black Hawk helicopter to land in "an incredibly difficult place", The Associated Press reported.

The Afghan government and its security forces may face serious challenges from the Taliban in the long term after the NATO-led forces withdraw, said Dong Manyuan, deputy director of China Institute of International Studies.

The Taliban has already established a solid base in Afghanistan and is experienced from its long-term war with government troops, Dong said, noting that this may be one of the biggest problems facing the Afghan government.

Another challenge may be the political appeal of the Taliban, which the Afghan government needs to learn to work with, said Dong.