NATO stands firm in face of deaths

The death of four NATO soldiers in southern Afghanistan will not deter the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) from its peacekeeping mission, an ISAF spokesman said on Thursday. Major Luke Knittig, a spokesman for the NATO-led ISAF, said it was maintaining its work in the south. “We pay tribute to the soldiers who have died bravely helping secure Afghanistan's future and will continue to operate where insurgents intimidate Afghans and threaten progress,” he said from Kabul, the Afghan capital. Four NATO soldiers, including three Britons, have been killed since the alliance took over command of security in the insurgency-hit south from US-led coalition forces on Monday. Knittig said NATO knew it was moving into Afghanistan's toughest provinces. "While combat is not our primary purpose we're not naive and knew fighting would continue,” he said. The alliance's mission in Afghanistan is considered the most dangerous in its 57-year history. This year Afghanistan has seen its bloodiest violence since the Taliban were ousted in 2001. More than 1,700 people and 70 foreign troops have been killed. NATO is increasing its presence in Afghanistan by about 7,000 troops to 16,000 and its new southern deployment will boost the number of foreign troops in the area to 9,000. Analysts believe that NATO has to move away from the previous strategies used to deal with the insurgency, as the security situation has not improved considerably in south and eastern Afghanistan since 2001. But NATO officials were optimistic and said that increasing the number of combat troops would bring positive changes. “This allows ISAF to pursue a wider strategy that builds on the work of the coalition to target security in a way that will foster vital development and government administration,” Knittig said. Analysts said a significant challenge for NATO would be creating a safe environment for aid workers so they could reach the most vulnerable people. “We will focus our efforts in partnership with Afghan security forces to target security in zones that will become inspirational sites for community-improving development and government services,” Knittig said.