470 Journal of the Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies N. 4 / 2014 Box 3: Transition of security activities from ISAF to ANSF. Since June 2013, the ANSF have been leading security and combat operations at the national level in Afghanistan. They have proven to be a competent force, capable of providing security to their population, preventing the insurgency from achieving their aims. Although the ANSF have suffered many losses, approximately 400 per month, due to an increase in fighting, and the high levels of fatality in battles,31 they do have an image of cohesion and of confidence in themselves, of tactical superiority over the insurgency, and the ability to limit violence in less densely populated areas. The transition period will come to an end in a few weeks (December 2014) and the Transformation Decade (2015-2024) will begin. The current feeling is that the ANSF have started to effectively take over numerous security missions that would be expected of a state. As of January 2015, there will be a big reduction in the capacities implemented by the international community so that Afghanistan is able to become an autonomous and complete country by the end of the Transformation Decade. Following the presidential elections and the appointment of a new president, a Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) was signed with the United States, as well as a new Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with NATO. The BSA, signed on the 30 September, established a maximum of 9,800 US troops on Afghan territory. NATO will also reduce its contingent until it reaches a level of 2,000 troops. In this way, the statement made by president Obama on the 25 May at Bagram air base, close to the capital Kabul, in front of some of the 32,000 troops stationed there 31 BYRD, William A. “Revisiting Chicago. The Critical Need To Maintain Support For Afghanistan’s National Security Forces Post-2014”, United States Institute of Peace (USIP), Washington, 05 June 2014. Consulted September 2014 under http://www.usip.org/publications/revisiting-chicago.
REVISTA IEEE 4
To see the actual publication please follow the link above