foir_3880

FOI-R--3880--SE
(UN Security Council resolutions 1386 and 1510) in Afghanistan since 2001.
ISAF is dominated by US forces with additional troops being contributed from
many countries, primarily from Europe. The around 58,000-strong ISAF (ISAF,
2014) is expected to withdraw its combat troops in 2014. A much smaller force,
some 10,000 for mentoring the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and
protecting international staff in Afghanistan, is a possible replacement. As of
April 2014, the future size and scope of a foreign military presence in
Afghanistan after ISAF was still a subject for discussion. NATO may retain a
role in this. The ANSF comprise both the Afghan National Army (ANA) and the
Afghan National Police (ANP). Over the past few years NATO has gradually
handed over responsibility for security in Afghanistan to the ANSF, a process
also known as the transition.
An important theme in this study is the role of Islamist movements. Being an
Islamist means to have the belief that ‘Islam should guide social and political as
well as personal life’ (Burnashev’s definition, see p. 56). Islamist movements are
often associated in Central Asia’s official discourses with terms like religious
fundamentalism and/or extremism. The movements most important to this
discussion are those prone to use violence, including terrorism, to further their
aims. The term ‘Islamism’ will be used in this report bearing this connotation in
mind. The terms ‘narcotics trade’ and ‘drugs trade’ without exception refer to the
illegal trade in such substances. Afghanistan is assessed to produce 90 per cent of
the world’s heroin supply. Writing and editing took place throughout 2013, with
some sources being verified in early 2014.
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