Dutch become 1st NATO member to leave Afghanistan

Dutch honor guard soldiers carry the coffins of
Dutch marines Jeroen Houweling, 29, and Marc Harders, 23, at the airport
in Eindhoven, Netherlands, Wednesday, April 21, 2010. Both marines were
killed when their vehicle was hit by a road side bomb on Saturday,
April 17, in Afghanistan. (AP Photo / Ed Oudenaarden, Pool)


KABUL, Afghanistan — The Netherlands became the
first NATO country to end its combat mission in Afghanistan, drawing the
curtain Sunday on a four-year operation that was deeply unpopular at
home and even brought down a Dutch government.

The departure of the small force of nearly 1,900 Dutch troops is not
expected to affect conditions on the ground. But it is politically
significant because it comes at a time of rising casualties and growing
doubts about the war in NATO capitals, even as allied troops are
beginning what could be the decisive campaign of the war.

Canada has announced it will withdraw its 2,700 troops in 2011 and
Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski has promised to pull out his
country's 2,600 soldiers the year after.

That is likely to put pressure on other European governments such as
Germany and Britain to scale back their forces, adding to the burden
shouldered by the United States, which expects to have 100,000 troops
here by the end of next month.

President Barack Obama has pledged to begin withdrawing American
troops starting in July 2011. But Defence Secretary Robert Gates told
ABC's "This Week" broadcast Sunday that only a small number of troops
would leave in the initial stage.

The end of the Dutch mission took place amid bad news from
Afghanistan -- including rising casualties and uncertainty over a
strategy that relies heavily on winning Afghan public support through
improved security and a better performance by Afghanistan's corrupt and
ineffectual government.

July was the deadliest month of the nearly 9-year war for U.S. forces
with 66 deaths. U.S. commanders have warned of more losses ahead as the
NATO-led force ramps up operations in longtime Taliban strongholds in
the southern provinces of Kandahar and Helmand, which accounted for most
of last month's American deaths.

Two more international service members were killed Sunday in fighting in the south, NATO said without specifying nationalities.

The Dutch departure was sealed after Prime Minister Jan Peter
Balkenende's government collapsed earlier this year over disagreement
among coalition members on whether to keep troops in Afghanistan longer.
His Christian Democrat party suffered heavy losses at parliamentary
elections in June.

Twenty-four Dutch soldiers have died in Afghanistan since the mission
began in 2006. Most of the Dutch soldiers were based in the central
province of Uruzgan, where they will be replaced by soldiers from the
U.S., Australia, Slovakia and Singapore.

The Dutch pioneered a strategy they called "3D" -- defence, diplomacy
and development -- that involved fighting the Taliban while at the same
time building close contacts with local tribal elders and setting up
numerous development projects.

Dutch troops, some of them riding bicycles, mingled closely with the
local population and often did not wear helmets while walking around
towns and villages as a way of winning the trust of wary local tribes.

"The international community and NATO are helping Afghanistan to
stand on its own legs so the country can defend itself against
extremists who want to use it as a breeding ground for global
terrorism," Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen said in a message to Dutch
troops.

NATO spokesman Brig. Gen. Josef Blotz played down the significance of
the Dutch move, saying it did not signal a weakening of coalition
resolve.

"The overall force posture of (NATO) and of the Afghan security
forces is increasing," Blotz told reporters. He noted the surge of
mostly U.S. forces that have recently taken control of key areas in
Helmand and Kandahar provinces from British and Canadian forces.

The American move into those areas is part of a bid to bolster
security in Kandahar city, the biggest urban centre in the south and the
Taliban's former headquarters. The U.S. move into areas around Kandahar
was largely responsible for the spike in casualties over the past two
months.

An escalation in fighting is likely to lead to a rise in civilian
casualties, undermining support for the coalition among ordinary
Afghans. A minibus full of civilians struck a roadside bomb in southern
Afghanistan early Sunday, and Afghan officials said six of those on
board were killed.

At least 270 civilians were killed in the fighting in July, and
nearly 600 wounded -- a 29 per cent increase in civilian casualties over
the previous month, according to Interior Ministry spokesman Zemeri
Bashary.

U.N. figures show that the Taliban are responsible for most civilian
deaths through suicide attacks and roadside bombs. Nevertheless, many
Afghans still blame the coalition, arguing that without foreign troops,
the Taliban would have little reason to mount attacks.

More than 200 Afghans marched through Kabul on Sunday to protest the
alleged deaths of 52 civilians in a NATO rocket attack in the south.
NATO has repeatedly disputed the allegations of civilian deaths, and
Blotz said Sunday that a joint assessment team has only confirmed that
between one and three civilians may have died in the July 23 attack in
the Sangin district of Helmand province.

Protesters carried photos of children allegedly killed or wounded in
the missile strike and shouted "Death to America! Death to NATO!"

"We should not tolerate such attacks. The Americans are invaders who
have occupied our country in the name of fighting terrorism," said
22-year-old Ahmad Jawed, a university student.

He said the Afghan government was equally to blame for failing to exert control over NATO troops.

"We don't have a strong enough government to protect the rights of the Afghan people," Jawed said.

In a letter to NATO-led forces, the top U.S. and coalition commander,
Gen. David Petraeus, reminded his troops they cannot succeed in turning
back the Taliban without "providing (civilians) security and earning
their trust and confidence."

"The Taliban are not the only enemy of the people," Petraeus said in
the letter. "The people are also threatened by inadequate governance,
corruption and the abuse of power -- the Taliban's best recruiters."

Petraeus told his troops to "hunt the enemy aggressively" but "use only the firepower needed to win a fight."

"If we kill civilians or damage their property in the course of our
operations, we will create more enemies than our operations eliminate,"
he said.