NATO commander tones down drug lord orders

THE STANS

British soldier arrested in Afghanistan in secrets probe
A British soldier has been arrested in Afghanistan over an alleged breach of the country's Official Secrets Act, the Ministry of Defence in London said Wednesday. The soldier, who was not identified, is being flown back to Britain for questioning and the investigation has been taken over by the Metropolitan Police. "We can confirm that a British Army officer has been arrested in Afghanistan on suspicion of breaching the Official Secrets Act," a ministry spokesman said. "He is being returned to the UK for questioning," he said, adding that the defence ministry had handed the matter over to the police. "No further details will be released at this stage." According to The Sun newspaper, which cited unidentified senior sources, the 48-year-old soldier befriended a woman working for a human rights group in Afghanistan and allegedly leaked sensitive casualty figures. British Defence Secretary John Hutton declined to comment on the probe, saying he did not want to compromise the rights of the accused soldier or any future trial. "There is a proper process to be followed in the UK," he said, speaking to reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels. "There could be prosecutions brought in this case and I am not going to compromise, either the rights of the individual concerned who is entitled to a fair trial, or in fact the legitimate interests of the prosecution if it is able to bring such a trial." Britain has around 8,300 troops stationed in Afghanistan, mostly in the restive southern province of Helmand battling an insurgency mounted by the Islamist Taliban militia.

by Staff Writers
Brussels (AFP) Feb 4, 2009
NATO's top commander has accepted suggestions from two generals to tone down orders for tackling drug lords and laboratories in Afghanistan, an alliance spokesman said Wednesday.

US General John Craddock came under fire after telling commanders that he wanted troops in the 50,000-strong NATO-led security force "to attack directly drug producers and facilities throughout Afghanistan."

His "guidance" -- a first step before issuing orders -- for handling such people was leaked to German news magazine Der Spiegel, and sparked an internal security probe at NATO.

"The discussion within the chain of command has now been completed," NATO spokesman James Appathurai told reporters at alliance headquarters.

He said that Egon Ramms, the German leader at NATO Command in the Netherlands, which is currently in charge of NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), and ISAF commander David McKiernan, had been consulted.

"The guidance provided up the chain from General Ramms and General McKiernan was accepted by General Craddock," he said.

"ISAF forces will be able to engage against narcotics facilities and facilitators where they provide material support to the insurgency."

Spiegel said that McKiernan's Kabul office had sent a letter claiming that Craddock had been trying to create a "new category" in the rules of engagement for dealing with opposing forces. Ramms too had been critical.

Craddock's mandate as Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) ends in June.

Appathurai insisted that "everything that will be done at ISAF will be done fully in compliance with international law, with the laws of armed conflict, as well as national laws."

The Taliban, ousted from power seven years ago by a US-led coalition, has been reaping close to 100 million dollars (77 million euros) a year from the opium trade and using the proceeds to fund its insurgency.

Afghanistan produces around 90 percent of the world's illegal opium, much of which is turned into heroin inside the country and exported to Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia.

The bulk of Afghanistan's opium production is centred in the south of the country, which is also the heart of the Taliban-led insurgency.

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THE STANS

Decision soon on extra troops for Afghanistan: Pentagon

Washington (AFP) Feb 3, 2009
Defense Secretary Robert Gates has discussed with President Barack Obama plans to send more troops to Afghanistan, the Pentagon said Tuesday, as the administration moved towards a formal decision on deploying extra forces.

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