Main Page
November 21, 2007 - 7:57 PM
Swiss pull military staff out of Afghanistan
Many civilians fled their homes to escape the escalating violence
URL of this story:http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swissinfo.html?
siteSect=105&sid=8450120
Image caption: Many civilians fled their homes to escape the
escalating violence (Armeefotodienst)
Switzerland is ending four years' cooperation with the Nato-led
International Security and Assistance Force (Isaf) in Afghanistan by
recalling its military personnel.
Defence Ministry Samuel Schmid said he had taken the decision for
security reasons. Two army officers, currently working with a German
team in the northeastern Kunduz province, will return home by March
next year.
The Isaf mission had become a peace enforcement operation rather than
a peacekeeping duty, Schmid said.
"The Swiss officers haven't been going into the city of Kunduz for
months," he told a news conference on Wednesday.
A continued Swiss military presence in Afghanistan – although "rather
symbolic" - was impossible because it goes against the spirit of the
constitution and is not in line with the law, according to Schmid.
The decision comes a few weeks after a meeting of Nato defence
ministers to boost efforts to provide security in Afghanistan.
Switzerland, which is not a member of Nato but joined its Partnership
for Peace programme, has participated in Isaf since 2003. Parliament
approved the deployment of a contingent of four officers on the basis
of a United Nations resolution.
"No-go areas"
However the nature of Isaf's engagement has changed since 2005. But
its mission has progressively turned into a campaign against
insurgents, the defence ministry said.
Even in the regions where warlords and fighters only carry out
sporadic activity, the mission has faced difficulties because of the
need for troops to resort to self-protection measures.
In areas of the country where the Taliban have regained strength,
reconstruction work has become practically impossible, the Swiss
authorities said.
The local population is bearing the brunt of the worsening security
situation in Afghanistan. The International Committee of the Red
Cross (ICRC) warned in September that civilians faced increasing
hardship in Afghanistan as fighting continued to spread across the
country.
The Swiss-run organisation said that large parts of the country were
close to becoming "no-go areas" for aid workers.
Medical care
Reto Stocker, the ICRC's head of delegation in Kabul, said the
conflict was "clearly spreading and in certain areas is intensifying".
He said there had been a significant increase in the number of
civilian casualties as a result of aerial bombardments and suicide
attacks, adding that the conflict was driving more and more people
from their homes.
The delivery of basic services such as medical care and education had
become "problematic" over wide areas of southern Afghanistan, he added.
Swiss military involvement in Afghanistan is minor compared to
Switzerland's humanitarian commitment.
In 2002, Switzerland set up a cooperation office in Kabul aimed at
supporting the processes of political stabilisation and
reconstruction of the war-torn country.
The office is currently running and supervising a development and
humanitarian programme with an annual turnover of up to SFr20 million
($18.1 million).
ISAF
The 41,000-strong International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) is
a Nato mission operating under a UN mandate.
Its role is to assist the Afghan government in extending and
exercising its authority and influence across the country, creating
the conditions for stabilisation and reconstruction.
There are 38 nations contributing to the international force.
Switzerland is the smallest contributing country with two officers.
Neutral Switzerland, although not a member of Nato, is part of its
Partnership for Peace programme (PfP).
CONTEXT
In total there are about 250 Swiss peacekeepers and military
personnel on international missions abroad.
There are currently about 220 Swiss peacekeepers in Kosovo serving
under Austrian command in the Nato-led force.
The others include observers and experts in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the
Middle East, Afghanistan, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and at the border
between North and South Korea.
LINKS
* International Security and Assistance Force (Isaf) (http://
www.nato.int/isaf/index.html )
* Defence ministry (http://www.he.admin.ch/internet/heer/fr/
home.html)
* Defence ministry – Partnership for Peace (PfP) (http://
www.pfp.admin.ch/internet/partnership_for_peace/en/home/testseite.html)
* Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) -
Afghanistan (http://www.sdc.org.af/)
URL of this story:http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swissinfo.html?
siteSect=105&sid=8450120