Rasmussen faces Afghan challenge as new NATO chief

Source: AFP

Rasmussen faces Afghan challenge as new NATO chief

(AFP) – 1 hour ago

BRUSSELS — Former Danish premier Anders Fogh Rasmussen took over as the new head of NATO on Monday as he prepared to map out his vision for the alliance and address the challenges it faces in Afghanistan.

The new secretary general inherits a daunting task with tens of thousands of NATO troops battling a raging Taliban insurgency that has been causing havoc ahead of the war-torn country's presidential election on August 20.

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But his most pressing challenge lies in Afghanistan, where 12 people were killed Monday in a bombing in the western city of Herat that underscored the persistent dangers in the war-torn country.

The 56-year-old, who was to speak at a news conference Monday, gave a glimpse of his vision for Afghanistan at the weekend, saying he would support dialogue with moderate groups "on the outer reaches of the Taliban."

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Source: Bloomberg

Aug. 3 (Bloomberg) -- New NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen ruled out setting a deadline for the withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan, saying the western alliance will stay there “for as long as it takes.”

Taking office after the bloodiest month since the war started in 2001, Rasmussen said an exit timetable would send up a white flag signaling that the West is surrendering the country to the radical Taliban movement.

“I’m not in favor of setting timelines,” Rasmussen told a press conference at North Atlantic Treaty Organization headquarters in Brussels today. “Let no Taliban propagandist try to sell my message as a run for the exits. It is not. We will support the Afghan people for as long as it takes.”

The death of 75 soldiers made July the deadliest month for international troops in Afghanistan since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 toppled the Taliban and drove the followers of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden into the rugged mountainous terrain along the border with Pakistan.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a1GR7fIrEj78