KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, July 31 (UPI) -- NATO forces took control of security in southern Afghanistan Monday, beginning one of the biggest ground operations in the alliance's history.
"This is one of the most challenging tasks NATO has ever taken on," NATO Secretary-General Jaap De Hoop Scheffer said. "But it is a critical contribution to international security and a demonstration of our commitment to the people of Afghanistan."
NATO was previously in charge of security in the capital, Kabul. The pro-Taliban guerrilla insurgency is concentrated in the south and west of Afghanistan.
"NATO is here for the long term, for as long as the government and people of Afghanistan require our assistance," said Lt. Gen. David Richards, the British NATO commander responsible for the south.
More than 1,700 people have been killed this year in attacks by Taliban guerrillas, opium-drug gangs and U.S.-led coalition operations.
The Sunni Islamist Taliban movement ruled most of Afghanistan from 1996 until it was ousted in 2001.
