Rumsfeld hopes for expansion of Afghan ISAF

Rumsfeld hopes for expansion of Afghan ISAF

Simon Denyer and Tabassum Zakaria, Reuters, Kabul

U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Sunday he was
hopeful the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) might
expand peacekeeping operations outside the Afghan capital, but
that security was primarily the responsibility of Afghans.

Rumsfeld spoke during a brief visit to Afghanistan that
coincided with an increase in violent attacks by the ousted
Taliban militia, and shortly after one of the biggest battles
with the Taliban for at least 18 months.

Scores of residents demonstrated in Kabul on Sunday against
the presence of U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan and some, unhappy
with Afghan President Hamid Karzai's failure to bring security to
many parts of the country, called for the return of the Taliban.

The Afghan government, the United Nations and aid agencies
have long appealed for peacekeepers to be deployed outside Kabul,
and hopes this might happen have risen since NATO took command of
the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in August.

"I certainly agree that an expansion of ISAF would be a good
thing," Rumsfeld said in response to a question at a joint news
conference with Karzai.

"For whatever reason, there have not been countries lining up
to expand ISAF, but it strikes me that... there is at least the
possibility of somewhat of an expansion."

"But in the last analysis, the security in Afghanistan is the
responsibility of the Afghan people," Rumsfeld said.

About 12,500 U.S. and allied forces are searching Afghanistan
for remnants of the Taliban and their al-Qaeda allies. Another
5,000 peacekeeping troops are stationed in Kabul under NATO
command.

On his last visit to Afghanistan in May, Rumsfeld said the
United States had moved from a period of major combat operations
to one of stabilization and reconstruction.

Since then, however, the Taliban have staged almost daily
attacks against government posts, aid workers and U.S.-led
forces. Large parts of the south and the east of the country are
off limits to foreign aid workers.

Rumsfeld insisted security had improved each time he visited
the country.

He made no mention of Washington's plans to increase aid to
Afghanistan, which President George Bush is expected to announce
soon. The Bush administration said in July it was preparing a
US$1 billion aid package for schools, roads and other projects.

The United States provides $900 million a month for American
military operations in Afghanistan and $900 million a year for
economic assistance and training the Afghan national army.