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U.N. expands Afghan security force
UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- The United Nations Security Council has voted unanimously to expand the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, allowing troops to operate in all areas of the country, not just the capital of Kabul. In making the decision, the council described the situation in Afghanistan as still constituting a threat to international peace and security. The vote came a week after NATO Secretary-General George Robertson urged U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to support the expansion. The expansion also had been sought by Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who has warned of the possible rise of Islamists if the international community did not do more to help the nation. "This resolution helps pave the way for the increased security in Afghanistan upon which nearly everything else is dependent," U.S. ambassador to the U.N. John Negroponte said, according to The Associated Press. Elements of the Taliban and other Islamic militants have been trying to reconstitute inside Afghanistan in an attempt to re-establish radical Islamic rule there. The Taliban provided shelter to Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda terror network, which was responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. The peacekeeper force, known as the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), is made up of 5,500 blue helmets and had previously been confined to Kabul. Monday's resolution, approved by the 15-member Security Council, permits the peacekeepers to operate outside the capital so that reconstruction and humanitarian efforts "can operate in a secure environment, and to provide security assistance for the performance of other tasks." It goes on to say ISAF must support the "Afghan Transitional Authority and its successors in the maintenance of security areas of Afghanistan outside of Kabul and its environs." The Security Council said it wanted quarterly updates from ISAF on the situation in Afghanistan and said it would "remain actively seized of the matter." The vote result had been widely expected, AP reports. The 15-member council approved the decision in a speedy meeting without any debate. Increasingly bold assaultsNATO took over command of the multinational force from Germany and the Netherlands in August. German and Canadian troops make up the bulk of the current force. Karzai said peacekeepers had to be deployed into the regions where increasing lawlessness is causing many Afghans to long for the security that marked the rule of the rigid Taliban regime. The Afghan government has little control in most of the country's 32 provinces, where governors often rule like warlords with private militias. Taliban and al Qaeda rebels have been launching increasingly bold assaults in recent months, raiding police stations, killing aid workers and confronting U.S. troops in growing numbers. Many of the attacks have taken place in the south and east of the country, near the border with Pakistan. Afghan and Western officials have long complained that the insurgents have found a safe haven in Pakistan, crossing the border frequently to launch attacks. Copyright 2003 CNN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
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