Report: NATO misleads with 'Afghan-led' label

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_AFGHAN_MISLEADING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-04-25-07-13-11

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- A new report Wednesday 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 U.S. 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 downplay 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.