NATO Plans Civilian-Led Mission in Afghanistan After 2016 - WSJ

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization on Wednesday formally announced plans to retain a small troop presence in Afghanistan after 2016 to help strengthen Afghan security forces as they struggle against a resilient Taliban insurgency.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the future mission—billed as “Enduring Partnership”—will be led by civilians. “It will have a light footprint, but it will have a military component,” Mr. Stoltenberg said.

The announcement came during a two-day meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Turkey’s Mediterranean Antalya province, where member states are also addressing security challenges in Ukraine, Syria and Libya.

The alliance’s leadership will draw plans for the new mission to Afghanistan by the fall. The size of the future NATO force in the country will be smaller than the current one, Mr. Stoltenberg said. An exact figure has yet been decided.

Washington has previously said it will leave just around 1,000 troops in Afghanistan after 2017 to focus on continue supporting Afghan troops in partnership with NATO allies. Wednesday’s announcement gave an early indication of what a post-2016 foreign troop presence would look like. - Read More at WSJ

NATO Plans Civilian-Led Mission in Afghanistan After 2016