Nato accused of misusing 'Afghan-led' label
Report by Kabul think tank says forces are sending out the wrong message
Kabul A new report yesterday by a Kabul-based think tank accuses international forces of misleading the public by calling military operations "Afghan-led" even in cases where Nato or US forces are the only troops on the ground.
The charge cuts to the heart of a public perception battle being waged in Afghanistan, where international troops are eager to showcase successes by Afghan forces and to play down the role played by international soldiers as Nato draws down forces and hands over security to Afghan control.
The United States and other nations that make up the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) have already started pulling out troops with the goal of putting Afghans in charge of countrywide security by the end of 2014.
The alliance wants to show that Afghans are up to the task so that the country does not descend into civil strife after 10 years of a Nato-led war against Taliban and Al Qaida militants.
"ISAF's desire to present accounts of events as favourably as possible is to be expected, but sometimes this slips into propaganda, half-truths and, occasionally, cover up," said British analyst Kate Clark, the author of the report by the Kabul-based think tank Afghan Analysts Network.
As the drawdown of foreign forces progresses, the international troops are expected to transition more and more into the role of supporting Afghan forces, rather than leading them.
In the transition, one phrase — "Afghan-led" — has become increasingly prevalent in Nato and US news releases describing operations. The report alleges that the term has been so loosely applied that it has, in at least one instance, been used for an assault conducted entirely by US troops.
The report entitled Death of an Uruzgan Journalist focuses on the case of Afghan reporter Omaid Khpulwak, who was caught in a TV and radio broadcasting station known as the RTA building in July 2011 when it was attacked by insurgent suicide bombers as part of a larger attack on the southern city of Tarin Kot.
