NATO leads training effort in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- NATO forces launched a mission in partnership with coalition forces to expand training for the fledgling Afghan national security force.

NATO in a weekend ceremony raised its flag over Camp Eggers in Kabul, signaling the beginning of its mission to train and mentor Afghan security forces.

"Our mission is about teaming with Afghans to build a bright, dynamic future for this sovereign nation," said Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell, IV, the new commander of the NATO training mission for Afghanistan.

NATO said its role in training Afghan soldiers increases the involvement of the members of the alliance while giving the Afghan government the ability to take responsibility for their own security.

World leaders have stressed the importance of building a strong Afghan security force as they consider the strategic direction of their involvement in Afghanistan.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said recently that passing control of national affairs over to the Afghan government should be a focus of the international involvement in the embattled Asian nation.

"It's sometimes called 'Afghanization,' and it's a bad word, but that's what it means -- Afghans taking control of their own affairs," he said.

Military strategists, for their part, stressed the importance of an independent Afghan force in their plans for success but warned that effort will fall short without commitments from NATO allies.

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, however, said he was optimistic NATO members would come forward with offers of support for the Afghan mission.