By Xinhua
Brussels : The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is to lease around 20 commercial helicopters for its operations in Afghanistan so that the alliance’s own helicopters can focus on combat, NATO officials said.
“We need to do more in relation to the in-theatre lift — helicopters and tactical transport aircraft which can help to give mobility to our forces,” a NATO official said on condition of anonymity Monday.
The helicopters would be used to transport supplies, such as equipment and ammunition, so that NATO’s own helicopters can be relieved for the transportation of personnel, a senior US official said.
Both officials said the deal is in the final stages of approval by NATO allies.
Although the leasing of helicopters has been a practice of the US, it is exceptional for NATO, said the US official.
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates is expected to push allies for additional troops and equipment for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan at this week’s informal meeting of NATO defence ministers at Noordwijk in the Netherlands.
A global force generation conference for Afghanistan has also been scheduled for November at NATO’s military headquarters in Mons, Belgium, said the NATO official.
NATO members are finding themselves increasingly overstretched with troop deployments in Afghanistan, Kosovo, Iraq and Lebanon.