By IANS,
United Nations : The UN Security Council voted unanimously here Wednesday to adopt resolution 2011, which extended the mandate of an international force that aims to quell insurgencies in Afghanistan.
The resolution said that the 15-member Council “decides to extend the authorization of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) as defined in resolution 1386 (2001) and 1510 (2003) for a period of twelve months until Oct 13, 2012,” Xinhua reported.
The ISAF, led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), was established to operate against insurgents in Afghanistan and help strengthen Afghanistan’s national security forces. The UN first authorized the work of the ISAF in Kabul and the surrounding area through Security Council resolution 1386, and then through resolution 1510, expanded the scope of the ISAF’s mandate to other parts of the country.
In Resolution 2011, the Council recognized that “the responsibility for providing security and law and order throughout the country resides with the Afghan Authorities, stressing the role of the International Security Assistance Force in assisting the Afghan government to improve the security situation and build its own security capabilities, and welcoming the cooperation of the Afghan government with ISAF.”
The resolution said that the Council also welcomes an agreement between ISAF contributing countries and the Afghan government to transfer lead security responsibility for Afghanistan entirely to the national government by the close of 2014.
NATO has said it will conduct withdrawal of its troops over the next few years in order to work toward this goal, though some troops will remain to support and train Afghan forces.