Search Results - NATO
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Coordinates 50°52'34.16?N 4°25'19.24?E? / ?50.8761556°N 4.4220111°E? / 50.8761556; 4.4220111The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO; pronounced /'ne?to?/, NAY-toe)); French Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique Nord (OTAN)), also called "the (North) Atlantic Alliance", is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on April 4, 1949. The NATO headquarters are in Brussels, Belgium,[3] and the organization constitutes a system of collective defense whereby its member states agree to mutual defense in response to an attack by any external party. For its first few years, NATO was not much more than a political association. However, the Korean War galvanized the member states, and an integrated military structure was built up under the direction of two U.S. supreme commanders. The first NATO Secretary General, Lord Ismay, famously stated the organization's goal was "to keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down".[4] Doubts over the strength of the relationship between the European states and the United States ebbed and flowed, along with doubts over the credibility of the NATO defense against a prospective Soviet invasion—doubts that led to the development of the independent French nuclear deterrent and the withdrawal of the French from NATO's military structure from 1966. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the organization became drawn into the Balkans while building better links with former potential enemies to the east, which culminated with several former Warsaw Pact states joining the alliance in 1999 and 2004. On April 1, 2009, membership was enlarged to 28 with the entrance of Albania and Croatia.[5] Since the September 11 attacks, NATO has attempted to refocus itself to new challenges and has deployed troops to Afghanistan as well as trainers to Iraq.
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1. Friendly-Fire May Have Injured 25 NATO Troops in Afghanistan
November 07, 2009
NATO officials in Afghanistan say 25 international troops wounded during a recent operation may have been hit by friendly fire.NATO
initially blamed "insurgent activity" for the casualties. But
officials Saturday said they do not rule out the possibility the troops
were mistakenly wounded during an attack by their own forces.The
troops were wounded Friday while looking for two missing U.S. soldiers
who are believed to have drowned in a river in the western province of
Badghis.The province's deputy police chief, Abdul Jabar, says
the two soldiers were swept away Wednesday while trying to save ... (read more)
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2. 3 NATO Helicopters Crash in Afghanistan, Killing 14 Americans
October 26, 2009
NATO forces in Afghanistan are reporting that three coalition helicopters crashed in two unrelated incidents Monday, killing at least 11 U.S. troops and three American civilians.A NATO statement said one helicopter crashed in western Afghanistan after U.S. and Afghan troops raided a militant hideout and killed 12 suspected enemy fighters. The statement said seven U.S. troops and three U.S. civilians were killed. The injured include 14 Afghan troops, 11 American troops and one U.S. civilian. The cause of the crash has not been determined, but NATO officials said they do not believe the he... (read more)
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3. NATO, Afghan Joint Forces Kill Several Militants, Destroy Weapons
October 25, 2009
NATO says Afghan and international security forces conducted four separate operations Sunday in eastern and southern Afghanistan that resulted in several militants killed and six suspected militants detained. The joint forces killed several militants north of Khowst City in Ghazni province while searching for a Taliban commander. NATO says the forces came under enemy fire during the search and returned fire, killing the militants. After the battle, the forces found weapons in enemy areas and destroyed them. In Wardak province, the joint security force detained a couple ... (read more)
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4. NATO Ministers Endorse McChrystal Afghanistan Strategy
October 24, 2009
As NATO troops engage Taliban insurgents throughout Afghanistan, the top commander's recommendation for additional troops has earned a key endorsement.NATO defense ministers meeting in Slovakia, expressed "broad support" for their general's plan.NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen talks to reporters in Slovakia, 23 Oct 2009"What we need is a much broader strategy which stabilizes the whole Afghan society," said NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. The endorsement goes to the core of a strategic debate generated by General Stanley McChrystal's grim private assessment of the wa... (read more)
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5. Czech PM Backs New US Missile Defense Plan
October 23, 2009
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has secured the Czech Republic's support for U.S. missile defense plans after winning the backing of fellow NATO allies Poland and Romania.US Vice President Joe Biden (L) is welcomed by Czech Republic's PM Jan Fischer (R) in Prague, 23 Oct 2009Biden met Friday with Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer, who said his country is ready to participate in the new plan. Biden said Washington will send a high-level defense team to Prague next month for discussions.Prague had previously expressed disappointment in U.S. President Barack Obama's decision to scrap plans to build ... (read more)
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6. NATO Ministers Endorse McChrystal Approach in Afghanistan
October 23, 2009
NATO defense ministers Friday endorsed the kind of broad counterinsurgency approach for Afghanistan that is the basis for the pending troop request by the NATO and the U.S. commander there, General Stanley McChrystal. The ministers, including U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, are meeting in Bratislava, Slovakia.NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen talks to reporters in Slovakia, 23 Oct 2009NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says the defense ministers have a "general shared view" that the alliance must make Afghanistan strong enough to defend itself against militant forces... (read more)
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7. Gates: US Committed to Afghanistan Mission
October 23, 2009
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has reassured NATO allies that the United States is committed to its mission in Afghanistan, even though the White House has yet to decide whether to send more American troops there.The Pentagon chief told a group of NATO defense ministers in Slovakia Friday that it is "vastly premature" to draw conclusions about a new U.S. strategy for Afghanistan.US Defense Sec. Robert Gates (L) and Gen. Stanley McChrystal (R) exchange a word at a NATO defense ministers meeting in Bratislava, 23 Oct 2009Gates said the Obama administration is studying whether to refine its ... (read more)
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8. UN Envoy Endorses More Troops for Afghanistan
October 23, 2009
United Nation's special envoy to Afghanistan Kai EideThe top United Nations envoy for Afghanistan says more foreign troops are needed to help secure the country, and to train its army and police forces. The envoy, Norwegian diplomat Kai Eide, spoke to reporters at a NATO defense ministers meeting in Bratislava, Slovakia, Friday. U.N. Special Envoy Kai Eide was blunt during a news conference before meeting with NATO's defense ministers. The Norwegian diplomat told reporters he endorsed the grim assessment by the NATO and U.S. commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, and his call f... (read more)
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9. US Lawmakers Hear Diverse Opinions on Afghanistan
October 23, 2009
NATO troops in Afghanistan (file)As President Obama continues to consider his next steps on Afghanistan, U.S. lawmakers have received more advice from strategic and regional specialists about the pros and cons of counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism strategies, and what is at stake for U.S. security interests. Lawmakers have absorbed a dizzying accumulation of recommendations for U.S. policy in Afghanistan, with their advantages and disadvantages, presented by policy and academic experts. In several hearings, subjects have included the pros and cons of inserting thousands of additio... (read more)
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10. US Senate Panel Examines NATO Mission
October 22, 2009
Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright says one of NATO's most important missions now is in Afghanistan.Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on NATO, 22 Oct 2009She says the alliance must work to help ensure the country does not become a safe haven for the Taliban and al-Qaida. Albright
commented Thursday in testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, which is discussing the future of the Western-backed
alliance. The former secretary of state has been leading a panel of
experts evaluating NATO's mi... (read more)
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11. Military Aircraft Crashes in Afghanistan
October 22, 2009
A senior Afghan intelligence official says a military aircraft crashed in the country's northern region Thursday.Provincial intelligence chief Abdul Majid Azimi says the aircraft went down in the mountains of Afghanistan's Baghlan province. He says it is unclear if the aircraft involved is a helicopter or a plane or to whom it belonged.A spokesman for NATO's international coalition in Afghanistan (International Security Assistance Force or ISAF) says there were no immediate reports of a crash involving any of its aircraft. Some information for this report was provided by AFP,... (read more)
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12. Gates Asks NATO for More Help in Afghanistan
October 22, 2009
Robert Gates, 21 Oct 2009U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates flew to Slovakia to ask NATO defense ministers to help the United States respond to the request for more resources made by the U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal. Secretary Gates is in the potentially awkward position of asking NATO allies to do more in Afghanistan, while the U.S. government is still reviewing its own plans. But he told reporters on his aircraft it makes sense to have these talks now because the effort to stabilize and develop Afghanistan is a NATO mission, not just an American one.... (read more)
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13. NATO Chief Urges Allies to Stay Committed to Afghanistan
October 22, 2009
The NATO secretary-general called for greater engagement in Afghanistan, saying the war there is the most complex challenge the alliance has ever undertaken.NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen gestures while speaking during a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Bratislava, Thursday 22 Oct. 2009Speaking ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Slovakia Thursday, Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the alliance must remain committed to bringing stability to Afghanistan. Noting the reservations some NATO members have about heightening engagement in Afghanistan, Rasmussen said "the cost o... (read more)
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14. 3 US Troops Killed in Afghanistan
October 17, 2009
NATO says three American soldiers have been killed in two separate bomb attacks in Afghanistan.The
alliance says two U.S. troops were killed in an explosion in eastern
Afghanistan Friday. Another U.S. service member was killed the same
day in a bombing in the country's south.This is already the deadliest year for international troops serving in Afghanistan since the war began. U.S.
President Barack Obama is weighing a recommendation by his top
commander in Afghanistan General Stanley McChrystal to send more
troops to battle a growing Taliban insurgency.Some information for this report was pro... (read more)
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15. EU and America Race to the Top of the Prophetic Ladder
October 15, 2009
Thirty five years ago I watched people scratch their heads with a puzzled look on their faces when I told them that Europe would become a powerful nation around the turn of the century. When I addressed what would happen in the United States they listened but I may as well have been reciting verses of Shakespeare in Lithuanian.
My message is easier now for many people to understand but there is yet no rush to alter the course of the nation or even the simplest behavioral patterns of everyday life, even among conservatives.
America has always been engrossed in its own politics and nat... (read more)
Author: Michael Bresciani
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16. Turkey Arrests 50 Suspected al-Qaida-Linked Militants
October 15, 2009
Turkish police have detained at least 50 suspected al-Qaida-linked militants in raids across nine provinces. Local media say the militants, thought to be members of a group (the Islamic Jihad League) tied to al-Qaida, were planning attacks against U.S., Israeli and NATO targets in Turkey. They say the suspects may have had contact with al-Qaida's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahri, and may have been trained in Afghanistan. Turkey's Hurriyet daily says police Thursday seized an unlicensed gun, documents, CDs and laptops during a search of homes and offices of suspected al-Qai... (read more)
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17. 20 Militants Killed in Afghanistan Operations
October 12, 2009
Afghan and international forces say they have killed 20 suspected militants during operations in southern Afghanistan. Other suspected militants have been detained.NATO says one suspect was detained Monday in a compound in Kandahar province that was used by the Taliban to supply explosives, weapons and ammunition to other militants in the area. An Afghan border police commander says more than a dozen militants were killed and several detained Sunday in Kandahar's Shorabak district. Also Sunday, NATO says soldiers in Helmand province detained a suspected militant commander, Haji Khan Moh... (read more)
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18. Turkey Denies Cancelling Military Drill over Israeli Participation
October 12, 2009
Turkey's Foreign Ministry has denied that it canceled this week's international air force exercise over opposition to Israel's participation. The ministry said Monday the cancellation was "not political," and urged Israeli officials to approach the situation with common sense. Israeli military officials said Saturday Turkey canceled the Anatolian Eagle exercise because it wanted to exclude the Israeli air force from taking part in the drill. The military exercise also was scheduled to include U.S., Italian and NATO forces.Turkey and Israel have had close ties, but their relations have b... (read more)
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19. NATO Chief Urges U.S. Allies to Do More in Afghanistan
October 08, 2009
Anders Fogh Rasmussen (file photo)NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen is urging European member states to contribute more to the Afghan mission. His appeal in Brussels Wednesday comes as the Obama administration debates a request for thousands of additional troops from the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal. There are currently 100,000 U.S. and NATO-led international forces in Afghanistan. General McChrystal is expected to request up to 40,000 more troops even as violence surges in Afghanistan. 2009 is the deadliest year for foreign forc... (read more)
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20. Gates Says Military Recommendations to President Should Be Kept Private
October 05, 2009
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the current review of U.S. and
NATO strategy in Afghanistan should remain private, and that the military
will do whatever the president orders. But in a speech in Washington
Monday, he also repeated his opposition to an approach advocated by
some officials that would rely more on air power.U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates speaking on Afghanistan and Iraq at the Association of the United States Army 2009 Annual Meeting in Washington, 05 Oct 2009 Secretary Gates told a U.S.
Army convention that Afghanistan has been on a "worrisome trajectory"
with vio... (read more)
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21. 5 US Troops Killed in Afghanistan
October 03, 2009
The NATO force in Afghanistan says five U.S. soldiers were killed in recent militant attacks.NATO
says two U.S. troops died Friday in a bomb attack in southern
Afghanistan. Another died of wounds sustained in an explosion in
eastern Afghanistan, while a separate attack in the east killed two
other soldiers.U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan have recently been facing stiffer Taliban resistance. 2009 is the deadliest year for foreign forces since the conflict began nearly eight years ago.Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.... (read more)
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22. Climate Change Brings Security Risks, Says NATO Chief
October 01, 2009
NATO's new secretary general wants the alliance to begin discussing climate change because it has potentially huge security implications. Temperature changes and rising sea levels will prompt large populations to move, and could spark conflict. NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says the alliance is doing much to counter 21st Century threats like piracy and cyber attacks, but says climate change poses a unique challenge. "Climate change is different, the science is not yet perfect, the effects are just starting to be visible, but it ... (read more)
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23. General McChrystal: Success in Afghanistan is Not Assured
October 01, 2009
General Stanley McChrystal, NATO's top commander in Afghanistan says the situation there is serious and success is not assured. Speaking at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, the general said it is the Afghan people who will decide who is winning or losing. General Stanley McChrystal, Commander, US Forces Afghanistan delivers a speech in London, 01 Oct 2009General Stanley McChrystal says there is no simple solution in Afghanistan."It is complex difficult terrain, both the land and the people, it is a tribal society with a culture vastly different from what... (read more)
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24. NATO Airstrike in Afghanistan Kills Civilians
October 01, 2009
NATO forces in western Afghanistan are meeting with village elders after receiving reports that an airstrike killed several civilians.An Afghan soldier (2nd R) talks with a NATO solider to set a checkpoint in Nad Ali district, Helmand province (File)NATO said one its aircraft dropped a single precision-guided bomb overnight in Helmand province's Nad Ali district after an extensive battle with insurgents. ISAF officials are now meeting with local elders to determine the extent of the casualties. An ISAF spokesman, Colonel Wayne Shanks, extended "heartfelt condolences" to relatives of the victim... (read more)
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25. UN's Top Afghan Envoy Supports Call for More Troops
September 29, 2009
Kai Eide, chief of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan(UNAMA) (file photo) The U.N.'s top envoy for Afghanistan, Kai Eide, has expressed support for the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan's call for more troops in that country. Eide told the U.N. Security Council Tuesday that more international troops are necessary to help train Afghan military and police forces. Eide said he did not want to get into the debate over the need for additional international fighting forces, but he called U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal's assessment of the war, "cl... (read more)
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