NATO

Twenty leading international and Afghan NGOs today called on NATO and the Afghan government to agree to commitments to ensure Afghan National Security Forces are able to protect civilians and are held accountable if they commit abuses or violate international law.

Coalition forces are not doing enough to prevent abuses by Afghan forces and have been too slow to address the issue as they prepare to hand over responsibility for security, Oxfam and other agencies said today.

In response to the US Government's Afghanistan strategy review made public today, international humanitarian organization Oxfam is concerned about the lack of provisions for civilian protection as well as long-term support for healthcare, education, and women's rights.

International military forces must take urgent steps to protect civilians caught up in the escalating conflict as they plan for the handover of responsibility for security to the Afghan government, warned leading aid agencies today.