Taliban 'won't derail' us: NATO on death of British troops
Rasmussen condemned the death of three British soldiers in Afghanistan by a gunman wearing an Afghan Police uniform.
BRUSSELS:
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, condemned the death Monday of three British soldiers in Afghanistan and vowed that the Taliban would not impact on the alliance's campaign.
Speaking at a news conference, the NATO chief presented his condolences to the families of the three and said an inquiry had been opened "to determine the circumstances."
The soldiers, serving with an Afghan police advisory team, were shot by a gunman wearing an Afghan National Civil Order Police uniform, the International Security Assistance Force said.
"At this stage we can't confirm that it was actually an Afghan policeman who turned his gun against ISAF soldiers, we can confirm that it was a man wearing an Afghan national police uniform," Rasmussen said.
"The Taliban has clearly laid out a strategy to undermine confidence in the Afghan national security forces, but let me also stress that they can't derail our strategy.
"Our strategy is to gradually hand over full responsibility to the Afghans and that process will continue and be concluded by the end of 2014."
The deaths on Sunday took to at least 26 the toll so far this year from 18 attacks in which Afghan forces turned their weapons against their Western allies.
Rasmussen also said he hoped that talks with Russia to transit non-lethal supplies through its territory from Afghanistan "can be concluded very soon."
"It's in their and our interest to expand the transit arrangement," he said.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, condemned the death Monday of three British soldiers in Afghanistan and vowed that the Taliban would not impact on the alliance's campaign.
Speaking at a news conference, the NATO chief presented his condolences to the families of the three and said an inquiry had been opened "to determine the circumstances."
The soldiers, serving with an Afghan police advisory team, were shot by a gunman wearing an Afghan National Civil Order Police uniform, the International Security Assistance Force said.
"At this stage we can't confirm that it was actually an Afghan policeman who turned his gun against ISAF soldiers, we can confirm that it was a man wearing an Afghan national police uniform," Rasmussen said.
"The Taliban has clearly laid out a strategy to undermine confidence in the Afghan national security forces, but let me also stress that they can't derail our strategy.
"Our strategy is to gradually hand over full responsibility to the Afghans and that process will continue and be concluded by the end of 2014."
The deaths on Sunday took to at least 26 the toll so far this year from 18 attacks in which Afghan forces turned their weapons against their Western allies.
Rasmussen also said he hoped that talks with Russia to transit non-lethal supplies through its territory from Afghanistan "can be concluded very soon."
"It's in their and our interest to expand the transit arrangement," he said.