Facts and figures on ISAF mission in Afghanistan

Oct 24, 2007, 17:51 GMT

Noordwijk, the Netherlands - The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission in Afghanistan was established by the United Nations Security Council on December 20, 2001.

The Security Council, pressed by Washington, adopted resolution 1386 as a means of responding to the global terrorist threat following the September 11 attacks against the United States.

On December 9, 2003, NATO assumed control of ISAF and in October of that year, the UN authorized its expansion beyond Kabul, the Afghan capital.

The mission, NATO's first outside Europe, is open-ended. And no one is quite sure how long it will last.

Its official objective is to 'conduct military operations in the assigned area of operations to assist the Government of Afghanistan in the establishment and maintenance of a safe and secure environment with full engagement of Afghan National Security Forces, in order to extend government authority and influence, thereby facilitating Afghanistan's reconstruction and contributing to regional stability.'

So far, the mission has consisted of five phases. The first phase - expansion to the north of Kabul - was completed in October 2004. ISAF forces then took up position in the west and then the south, where the worst of the fighting has and is still taking place.

According to reports, a total of 644 coalition coalition forces have died fighting the Talibans in Afghanistan on behalf of ISAF or the US-led Enduring Freedom Operation. Of these, nearly 300 are American. Thousands of Afghan civilians have also lost their lives.

All 26 NATO member states, plus a further 12 non-NATO countries, contribute to ISAF in some form or other.

Latest figures provided by NATO put the total number of troops at its disposal at 41,144. This figure includes Afghan forces - which NATO calls 'National Support Elements'.

The United States are by far the biggest single contributor with 15,108 soldiers. American ISAF forces are mostly based in eastern Afghanistan, around Kabul, and in the south.

The second biggest contributor is Britain, with 7,740 soldiers. The British are based in Lashkar Gah, a city in the southern Helmand province.

Some of the worst fighting has taken place around Kandahar, a city in the south where Canadian troops are stationed.

Germany is the third-largest single contributor. But its 3,155 soldiers are stationed in the more peaceful northern part of Afghanistan.

Italy's 2,395 soldiers are also based in a relatively quiet area west of Kabul.

The smallest single contributors are Austria and Switzerland, with three and two soldiers respectively. Georgia has yet to deploy its troops.

ISAF's current commander is US General Dan K. McNeill. The mission's Afghan headquarters are in Kabul.