AFGHANISTAN: NATO TO EXPAND MISSION
Brussels, 8 Dec. (AKI) - Foreign ministers from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) countries have agreed to expand the presence of the alliance's peacekeeping troops in Afghanistan. The decision came after a meeting in Brussels, where the decision was made to deploy some 6,000 troops to the south of the country, making the presence in Afghanistan NATO's biggest ever mission outside of Europe. A third of the troops will be British and a new British-led NATO headquarters will also be established in the Afghan capital, Kabul.
NATO currently has some 11,000 troops deployed in Afghanistan, while the United States has nearly 20,000 soldiers.
"We have today agreed to move NATO's support for peace and security in Afghanistan to a new level," NATO foreign ministers said in a statement.
The expansion by NATO of mainly European and Canadian troops into some of the most dangerous parts of the country will allow the United States to scale back some of its own military presence in the country, although the Pentagon has not given any details on how many troops it is expected to withdraw. It is believed that the move will allow the US troops to focus on operations against Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters in southern and eastern Afghanistan.
NATO troops are due to enter the south of Afghanistan by May.
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Unfriendly eyes follow air marshals
Experts: Terrorists seek security flaws
By Jon Hilkevitch
Tribune transportation reporter
December 8, 2005
Federal air marshals are the consummate frequent fliers, logging thousands of miles each week while trying to blend in with the airport crowd.
One air marshal, known as "the doctor" among his security associates, is a certified emergency medical technician. Without blowing his cover, he recently helped a sick passenger who needed the aid of an onboard oxygen canister during a flight.
Air marshals frequently pose as good Samaritans volunteering to help flight attendants deal with drunken or unruly travelers.
But every air marshal knows that he or she is being watched--and often tested.
Ever since the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, air marshals and airline pilots have reported instances to federal authorities in which individuals behaving suspiciously appeared to be evaluating onboard security, according to congressional testimony. It is believed that terrorists continue to fly on commercial airlines to and within the U.S. to look for weak links in layers of the still-evolving aviation security system.
The ploys have ranged from faking illnesses to disobeying orders from flight attendants to sit down to a few reported cases of individuals running toward the cockpit door in apparent efforts to flush any air marshals from their seats.
Experts say another strategy is focused on determining specific flights that are routinely flown by armed pilots participating in the flight deck officers program.
A major concern among air marshals is being identified by terrorists. On the flights selected for extra security, at least two air marshals are assigned to a plane in a specified seating arrangement--one in the first-class cabin to monitor the cockpit door, another in coach.
Until earlier this year, the Department of Homeland Security enforced a formal dress code for air marshals--suits and ties--that made them stand out from the more casual appearance of many passengers.
"I have sat in the same seat since my first day on the job," said a federal air marshal based in Chicago who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly. "At least in Iraq or Afghanistan you know what you are dealing with. Here, I am in jeopardy because a lot of the passengers know instantly who we are."
He also said there is widespread opposition among air marshals to last week's decision by the Transportation Security Administration relaxing the ban on passengers bringing scissors and short blades aboard planes.
"A terrorist knows who I am and how to slit my throat by placing two credit cards together," the air marshal said. "I don't want to make it any easier for him."