Afstan: It's official

"NATO approves expanding security force to southern Afghanistan"

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - NATO countries have approved expansion of their 18,000-member security force to volatile southern Afghanistan, officials said Wednesday.

NATO spokesman James Appathurai said the alliance's top military commander, U.S. Gen. James Jones, would now start to initiate orders to take over the southern region from the current U.S.-led coalition troops around the end of July.

Canada, a NATO member, currently has about 2,200 soldiers on the ground in the south.

Update: Final decision actually expected on Friday, July 28; got to get non-NATO members of ISAF like the Aussies et al. formally on board.