UN extends ISAF mission in Afghanistan for another year

[News_Editor]

UN extends ISAF mission in Afghanistan for another year

2010-10-14 09:06:21 GMT+7 (ICT)

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday extended the mission of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan for one additional year and called for increasing international security forces in the region.

In Afghanistan there are currently 120,000 International forces troops to counter growing terrorism in the area. The UN Security Council said ISAF forces should be increased to meet all its operational requirements.

The Council is concerned at the increased violent and terrorist activities by the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, other armed groups and criminals, including those involved in the narcotics trade, and the increasingly strong links between terrorism activities and illicit drugs.

The UN body also urged ISAF, the U.S. led force which supplies 80,000 troops, to speed up training of self-sufficient, accountable and ethnically balanced national Afghan security forces that could be able to maintain peace in its native country by themselves.

In recent times, Afghanistan has witnessed an increase in the number of civilian casualties, mainly among women and children. Most of the violence is caused by Taliban, Al-Qaeda and other extremist groups.

The UN Security Council recognized advances in security sector reform but urged ISAF and other international forces to continue to undertake enhanced efforts to prevent civilian casualties. The UN body also called for ending impunity and corruption in Afghanistan.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2010-10-14