WASHINGTON -- With its move into eastern Afghanistan last week, NATO assumed full responsibility for security throughout the entire country, but the commander of the Atlantic alliance said in Washington Wednesday that victory "will not be resolved by military means." U.S. Marine General James L. Jones said NATO's troop strength of 35,000 from 26 member countries is "adequate for the mission," but he said the real challenge is to break the logjam in the faltering reconstruction effort and halt the growth of the narco trade. Troops from some NATO countries were first deployed in Kabul in 2001 as ISAF, the International Security and Assistance Force. In 2003, the alliance extended its control over the north and west of the country, and last July moved into the south, a hotbed of Taliban resurgence.
NATO Now the Primary Security Force in Afghanistan
