NATO will take over everything involving organization, implementation, planning and command of the ISAF mission

BRUSSELS, April 16 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - NATO agreed Wednesday, April 16, to assume the command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, what was described as the first ever "out of area" mission for the alliance.

"NATO will take over everything involving organization, implementation, planning and command" of the ISAF mission, which has patrolled Kabul and its environs since its creation in December 2001 following the fall of Taliban regime, Agence France-Presse (AFP) quoted one diplomat as saying.

ISAF currently comprises some 4,600 troops from 29 countries, including 2,500 German and 600 Dutch soldiers, and provides assistance to Afghan authorities in securing the capital Kabul.

Germany and the Netherlands took over joint control of ISAF from Turkey in February.

Berlin has urged NATO to assume ISAF leadership at the end of the current mandate in August, but other countries including France and Belgium had expressed reservations.

Formally, ISAF will not become a NATO mission, the diplomat said, adding it would be a "successor mission". "Neither the name nor the mandate of this force will change," he noted.

The decision was taken by the Alliance's ruling North Atlantic Council (NAC) at the NATO's Brussels headquarters Wednesday morning, diplomats said, although no official announcement was made.

At a landmark summit in Prague last year, NATO agreed to expand to take in seven ex-communist countries, while also approving the creation of a rapid Response Force (NRF) ready for combat missions anywhere around the globe.

Wednesday's decision is the first time since its creation in 1949 that NATO has agreed to take command of a mission outside the north Atlantic area.

"This decision puts to rest the debate about NATO's relevance", said one diplomat.

The alliance, which already provides logistical support to ISAF, asked its military experts on April 2 to study how the alliance could "maximize" its role in Afghanistan.

NATO's top military commander in Europe, General James L. Jones, said last month that the alliance was ready to play a leading role, if called upon.

"I am quite sure that NATO assets could be used, and could be used effectively," he said after talks with German Defense Minister Peter Struck.

Security remains a major concern for the government of President Hamid Karzai as Afghanistan struggles to overcome decades of conflict.

While ISAF is responsible for security in Kabul, an 11,500 strong U.S.-led force is hunting down Taliban and al-Qaeda remnants across the central Asian nation.

ISAF's compound in Kabul was hit in a rocket attack last month, while U.S. Special Forces also came under attack in the neighboring Kandahar province.

Kandahar is the heartland of the Taliban regime, which was toppled by a U.S. forces following the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington.

Afghan Soldier Killed In Attack Near U.S. Base

An Afghan militiaman was killed when two checkpoints outside a U.S. base in southern Afghanistan came under attack, a U.S. military spokesman said Wednesday.

"One AMF (Afghan militia force) soldier was killed last night when two checkpoints outside the Gereshk fire base west of Kandahar in north Helmand province came under fire," U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Douglas Lefforge told reporters at Bagram Air Force Base 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of Kabul.

American forces set out in pursuit of the attackers but did not find anyone, Lefforge said.

It was not known how many were involved in the attack late Tuesday, April 15, nor what weapons they used, he said.

The AMF has checkpoints 300 meters (328 yards) from the fire base which are used as security checkpoints on the perimeter of the base, he said.

Two U.S. Special Operations Forces were killed in an ambush near Gereshk on March 29.

Eleven Afghan civilians were killed last Wednesday when a U.S. bomb went astray and landed on their house on the outskirts of Shkin.

American and pro-government forces frequently come under attack in southern and eastern Afghanistan from suspected Taliban and al-Qaeda holdouts and fighters linked to former premier Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.