As a direct response to the September 11 attacks, NATO acted upon Article 5 of the NATO Articles for the first time in its history. An assault that would pan out for longer than a decade was started in Afghanistan, the basic aim of the initiative being the removal Taliban from power, finding Osama Bin Laden & destroying Al-Qaeda completely.
Troops from 42 countries were sent as NATO took charge of a mission outside north Atlantic area for the first time in history. After the initial attacks, prominently Torra Borra & Operation Anaconda, NATO was given control of ISAF (international Security Assistance Force), and by 2006 NATO forces had expanded the mission throughout Afghanistan.
In May 2011, after the US-NATO led undercover operation in Abbotabad, the death of Osama Bin Laden was confirmed. One major milestone was achieved, though at the cost of numerous lives. There on, a plan to evacuate NATO forces from Afghanistan was endorsed during the 2012 Chicago Summit, it was agreed that all the troops will be removed from the Afghan Region by the end of 2014.
The initial step towards removal of forces from the region was taken by US when President Barrack Obama announced to call back 10,000 troops by the end of 2011, shortly followed by Canada’s withdrawal of all their armed forces from Afghanistan. Following them, France, Belgium and other countries who have also announced the removal of their army. Though the United Kingdom has voiced to follow suit, they have not yet specified the figures or timing. The long term plan is to evacuate completely the region when the timing and situation allow and hand over control to Afghan National Army.
Though according to an article in Washington Post, NATO is seriously considering the retention of some 350,000 troops in Afghanistan till the end of 2018, the ultimate and complete withdrawal is eminent. The topic is being thought upon in lieu of the current unstable situation which the Alliance wishes to resolve before they leave.
The total strength of roughly 450,000 (as of October 2012) army men fighting against the Taliban has a fair share of ISAF and other Alliance forces, and it is being viewed that the removal of forces may leave the country in a state of mayhem. The expected general atmosphere is being viewed as dangerous, and some of the analysts are of the opinion that US & NATO together have failed to deliver.
For starters, Afghanistan has no air force and so forth they have been relying heavily on the external military aid for containing the insurgencies. Afghanistan on their own is hardly up to the mark in matters of wealth or expertise, shown evidently by the fact that out of the latest 68000 new Afghan recruits, 48000 have quit.
According to Pentagon, out of Afghanistan’s 23 Brigades only one is capable to work on its own. The situation is being taken as highly volatile as the country’s looming economic distress. Military slackness coupled with the looming fear of “re-talibanization” will hardly amount to a desired outcome.
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