Nato backs US shake-up in Afghan command

BRUSSELS (Reuters/AFP) - Nato on Friday backed a US shake-up of military command in Afghanistan, as well as plans to step up training of Afghan forces, and Washington said it saw the chance of turning the tide in the war within a year.
The US has named US Army General Stanley McChrystal to overall command of US, Nato and allies forces in Afghanistan, with a deputy to run day-to-day military operations and another to oversee training.
The structure draws heavily on US experience in Iraq.
Top US and Nato officials also urged forces in Afghanistan to do their utmost to limit civilian casualties, saying that every killing of an innocent Afghan citizen would undermine their mission. Nato Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said defence ministers from the 28-nation Nato military alliance backed the plan at a meeting in Brussels.
The logic is clear, because the mission has now grown to over 60,000 and it will keep growing, he said of the Nato-led component of the international military presence. There is an ever greater requirement for coordination.
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates, who has urged European allies to step up their commitments after a big increase in US troop numbers, said allies were now playing an increasingly important role and looking to step up their commitments.
He said insurgent activity had increased year after year and heavy fighting could be expected in the coming year.
Scheffer said ministers had confirmed plans to send 8-10,000 troops to protect an Aug 20 presidential election and to deploy Nato Airborne Warning and Control aircraft to help deal with greater air traffic coming with big troop increases.
He said the international effort in Afghanistan faced real challenges, citing the elections, insurgent violence, and slow progress in reconstruction and development efforts. Meeting them will not be easy, he said.
Every civilian casualty however caused is a defeat for us and a setback for the Afghan government, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said, after the Nato-led military said six Afghans had died in incidents with its forces.
We need to make more changes to the way we conduct our operations to overcome what I believe is one of our greatest strategic vulnerabilities in Afghanistan, he told Nato defence ministers in Brussels.
Nato chief Scheffer said forces must do everything possible to avoid civilian casualties, to ensure that an open and transparent investigation is conducted with Afghan involvement in each case.
The US Defence Secretary Robert Gates accused Iran of playing a double game in Afghanistan, by professing to want good ties while undermining Nato-led efforts to provide security.