NGOs reiterate security concerns to NATO

For the second time in just over a year a group of 54 NGOs has reiterated its call for NATO to refocus its attention on the security needs of the Afghan people and international aid workers. "For more than a year NGOs have been calling for NATO to address the real security threat on the ground. Now the situation appears to be deteriorating and it is making it extremely difficult for the international community to operate in Afghanistan," Paul O'Brien, advocacy coordinator with CARE International, told IRIN from the Afghan capital, Kabul. He explained that many regions in Afghanistan were no longer safe for civilian aid workers, who have suffered 20 causalities this year, noting the impact of this on the reconstruction effort in the country. Lynn Renkes, a senior programme manager with Mercy Corps, agreed, adding that insecurity in the country was worsening, affecting the implementation of their programmes in areas previously regarded as more secure. "This is the first time in two years that our programmes have been impacted in some areas [of southern Afghanistan]. We are watching the security situation changes there." According to a statement by the NGO group on Tuesday, the NATO Heads of State and Government Summit to be held in Istanbul on 28-29 June is the last hope for responding to the security threats presented in Afghanistan by warlords, drug barons and antigovernment forces. And while the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which has been operating in Afghanistan since 2002, focusing on the Kabul area, has expanded its presence to the northern area of Kunduz in 2003, the group wants to see more done. "We have noticed very little changes in the NATO approach since last year and we would like to see more presence in areas outside Kunduz and Kabul. Certainly there is a need for extending NATO's presence until the Afghan government can provide security to the community," Renkes said. Echoing the Mercy Corps official, O'Brien added that the Afghan national security forces are not yet able to provide security to the Afghan people, although there had been improvements in areas such as police training. "Until they have that capacity, the international community must fill the breach," he added. The CARE official maintained that the international community must take fresh action and refocus its attention on the security threats facing Afghanistan before the situation deteriorates further. "With Iraq already getting so much of the world's attention away from Afghanistan, it is critical that NATO takes the opportunity presented in Istanbul to refocus its attention on the real security need of the Afghan people," O'Brien said.