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ISAFs key military tasks include assisting the Afghan government in extending its authority across the country, conducting stability and security operations in co-ordination with the Afghan national security forces; mentoring and supporting the Afghan national army; and supporting Afghan government programmes to disarm illegally armed groups.
Upon request of the Afghan government, ISAF also supports government and internationally-sanctioned counter-narcotics efforts within limits (NOT participating in poppy eradication or destruction of processing facilities or taking military action against narcotics producers). It also assists humanitarian assistance operations co-ordinated by Afghan government organisations, and supports the Afghan national police, within means and capabilities.
NATO's area of operations in Afghanistan (map)
ISAF forces conduct regular patrols throughout Afghanistan.
Approximately 600 patrols are conducted each week - around 100 jointly with the Afghan National Police and the Afghan National Army.
Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) are the leading edge of NATO-ISAF's presence in Afghanistan. These are small teams of civilian and military personnel working in Afghanistan's provinces to provide security for aid workers and help reconstruction work. They are a key component of a three-part strategy for Afghanistan - security, governance and development - helping to spread stability across the country.
In addition to regular patrols and security operations, NATO-ISAF PRTs also assist in rehabilitating schools and medical facilities, restoring water supplies, providing agricultural technical assistance and many other civil-military projects.
NATO is leading the military components of 25 PRTs (see table below, and map).
(For up to date information on PRTs, troop numbers and contributing nations, please download ISAF placemat (PDF/142 Kb.)
ISAF is helping to train the first units of the new Afghan National Army and National Police. This includes supporting the Afghan National Army by deploying small groups of experienced officers and non-commissioned officers that will coach and mentor the Afghan National Army units to which they are attached.
The NATO-led force has supported the Afghan Government in the removal and cantonment of heavy weapons (e.g. tanks, artillery) belonging to the various armed factions in the country to special, government-controlled sites. To date, more than 10,000 heavy weapons have been cantoned and more than 34,000 light weapons taken out of public circulation. This was an important step towards the further development of a capable Afghan National Army, as it is likely that most of these weapons will eventually be used to equip the army.
Similarly, ISAF supported the the disarmament, demobilisation, and reintegration of over 61,000 former combatants and is assisting the Government of Afghanistan in the disarmament of an estimated 120,000 persons belonging to illegally armed groups, who will eventually be returned to civilian life.
Operations in support of Afghanistan's army and police also involve the clearance and destruction of unexploded ordinance or material, which could be used for improvised explosive devices. This is essential for the long-term security of Afghanistan.
ISAF also operates and controls Kabul International Airport, the main gateway to landlocked Afghanistan. It receives both military and civilian air traffic and now averages over 110 flights a day - of which the majority is commercial air traffic. The end-state goal is to have the airport transition to an Afghan-led, 24-hour, 7-days-a-week operation.
From 14 December 2003 until 4 January 2004, ISAF successfully supported the conduct of a major political event in Kabul, the convening of a Constitutional Loya Jirga, a grand council specific to Afghanistan, which adopted a new constitution for the country. ISAF assisted the Afghan authorities in providing security throughout the process.
ISAF also assisted in securing the the conduct of the historic October 2004 presidential election and the National Assembly and Provincial Council elections in September 2005, by conducting operations on the ground and in the air, and by deploying extra troops into theatre.
