Afstan: Change of military focus in Regional Command (South)/ROEs

The UK general commanding NATO ISAF says things will be somewhat different. And US troops will be under a foreign commander for the first time in a long time. Canadian angle at end; we'll still be doing combat.

A British general will command American troops for the first time since the Second World War when Nato takes charge of the mission to pacify southern Afghanistan today.

Lt Gen David Richards, Britain's most experienced officer in developing world arenas, assumes control of a merged Nato and US force that will grow from 9,000 to 18,000.

It is one of the largest and toughest missions the alliance has faced, covering six southern provinces and extending its authority to almost all of the country. At a press conference in Kabul on Saturday, Gen Richards promised that Nato will bring a new strategy to the fight.

Instead of chasing down the Taliban, Nato forces will garrison key towns and villages. It wants to bolster the weak government of President Hamid Karzai and win the support of local people by promoting much-needed development.

The general said he hoped there will be "secure zones" in the volatile south in three to six months.

The direct approach pursued under American command, particularly by British troops, has claimed the lives of some 700 Afghan fighters - more than a third of them Taliban - and 19 western troops including six British soldiers...

Nato will control security in 75 per cent of the country - in the west, north and south - while the US-led coalition still leads the fight in the eastern provinces along the border with Pakistan.

In the south, the force will comprise mainly British - there are already 4,300 UK soldiers - Dutch and Canadians.

Nato will also command 13 Provincial Reconstruction Teams and take on more responsibility from the Americans for training the Afghan National Army and police.

More on changed emphasis:

...General Richards has made it clear that although he wants to maintain a high operational tempo, he intends to refocus the campaign in southern Afghanistan. The sources said that in consultation with the Government in Kabul, he planned to start creating “Afghan development zones” in selected areas, deploying troops to regions where reconstruction work could make a real impact on the local communities.

The Canadian angle:

Canadian combat soldiers had worried that under NATO they would operate under stricter rules of engagement preventing them from defending themselves properly, and that they might be prosecuted under international law if they responded to a threat in a way permitted by Canada, but forbidden by NATO.

Richards said the NATO Rules of Engagement (ROE), agreed to by the troop-contributing nations, are adequate.

"Originally, I think many people worried about ROE, and constraining our freedom of action and our ability to mount and conduct a sound military operation," Richards said.

"The ROE given me and the whole force are more than sufficient to enable Canadian troops and any other ISAF troops to not only defend themselves robustly, but to take pre-emptive military action should intelligence or other indications suggest that is what's required."..

I suggest you read the whole article which has lots of detail on Canadian military and civilian activities.

More in a Canadian Press story:

The way Canadian soldiers operate in southern Afghanistan under NATO won't differ from how they're working under Operation Enduring Freedom, Canadian military officials said...

Under Operation Enduring Freedom, however, they have been heavily involved in dangerous combat missions.

That role will continue, with troops engaging in combat and NATO commanders able to order pre-emptive strikes against suspected Taliban fighters, Lt.-Col. Brian Irwin said.

“I don't expect to see significant change under NATO,” said Lt.-Col. Irwin, who is responsible for getting the next rotation of Canadians into Kandahar.

The rules of engagement for the Canadian and other international forces under NATO, which cannot be made public, won't change much from those used by the U.S.-led troops, he added...