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UN Security Council authorizes extension of ISAF mission in Afghanistan

11 October 2013 01:41 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The UN Security Council on Thursday extended the mission of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), a peacekeeping international force, in Afghanistan, APA reports quoting local media.

In a resolution adopted here on Thursday, the 15-member Council extended the authorization of ISAF until Dec. 31, 2014. The current mandate of ISAF, led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), expires this weekend.

The force was established to operate against insurgents throughout Afghanistan and help strengthen the country's security forces.

Recognizing that an increasing number of the Taliban are reconciling with the Afghan government, rejecting the terrorist ideology of Al-Qaida and its followers, and supporting a peaceful resolution to the continuing conflict in Afghanistan, the council said, however, "Security remains a serious challenge in Afghanistan and the region."

The members of the council also stressed the interconnected nature of the challenges facing the country, reaffirming that sustainable progress on security, governance, human rights, rule of law and development as well as the cross-cutting issues of counter-narcotics, anti-corruption and accountability are mutually reinforcing.

The UN body called upon member states to contribute personnel, equipment and other resources to ISAF and to continue to support security, stability and transition in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, the council welcomed an agreement between Afghanistan and ISAF contributors to transfer full security responsibility to the Afghan government by the end of 2014.

NATO has said it will conduct withdrawal of its troops over the next few years in order to work toward this goal, though some troops will remain there to support and train Afghan forces.