Operations in South continue under NATO

Kabul, Aug 6 (UNI) NATO-led ISAF forces today launched a new operation in the Musa Kala Khan area in northeast Helmund province of South Afghanistan and said it was evident that ISAF would not be deterred.

In a press briefing at the end of the first week of operations since the ISAF assumed command and control of Southern Afghanistan, ISAF officials said operations in the South continued unchecked by the transfer of authority to ISAF by the US-led Coalition Forces(CFC).

''There is a substantial number of troops involved in the operations and initial reports from the operation are encouraging.

The ISAF operations in the South are a follow up to Operation Mountain Thrust which was conducted by the US-led Coalition Forces Command(CFC) in order to maintain the tempo,''ISAF spokesman Major Toby Jackman today said, while stating that it was too early in the operations in Musa Kala to give details.

The role of ISAF had remained the same since the beginning, the civilian spokesman of ISAF, Mark Laity said. However, in the South these activities would be more combat related and the forces would have to do more fighting in order to achieve the security needed to allow development and governance to take place.

In the ongoing operations and the earlier one in Panjwayi last week, the ISAF was taking the initiative to areas where insurgents had a stronghold.

Drawing a distinction between the operations conducted by the US-led Coalition Forces(CFC) and the NATO-led ISAF, Major Jackman said the operations conducted by the Coalition Forces were anti-terrorist while the ISAF was involved in anti-insurgency operations. While the anti-insurgency operations focussed on the opposition to the government, which came from a multiplicity of threats, the counter terrorist operations were combating a wider terrorist campaign which had links outside Afghanistan.

Major Jackman said the CFC and the ISAF had a very good liaison structure so that activities could be de-conflicted when necessary.

Asked how the ISAF was confident of succeeding where the coalition forces had not, the ISAF spokesman said the reason was the presence of large number of troops,this time.

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