The Afghan government and NATO have agreed to develop a plan for a new international peacekeeping mission in the country, which will start after 2014, when Afghan forces take on full control of the republic’s security, NATO head Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Monday.
The NATO-led mission will offer training and other assistance to Afghan security forces, he said.
NATO will provide funding for the mission, an estimated $4.1 billion a year.
“On Afghanistan, we set out a clear path from now until 2014 and beyond. And we sent out a clear signal to the Afghan people and the region that we will stay committed,” he said.
After NATO forces are withdrawn from Afghanistan security in the country will be enforced by over 300,000 Afghan soldiers and police, he said.
NATO has reached agreement on reverse transit from Afghanistan with three Central Asian partners: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, Rasmussen said.
“And NATO will continue to actively engage with Afghanistan’s neighbors to build wider support for the country’s stability,” he said.
