ISAF Officials: Reports on Partnering Change ‘Not Accurate’

American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON – Recent media coverageregarding a change in the International Security Assistance Force model forassisting Afghanistan’s security forces “is not accurate,” ISAF officials saidtoday in a statement released from the command’s headquarters in the Afghancapital of Kabul.
Officials said ISAF “remains absolutelycommitted” to partnering with, training, advising and assisting Afghanistan’snational security forces.
“The ISAF [security force assistance]model is focused at the battalion level and above, with exceptions approved bysenior commanders,” the statement said, adding that partnering occurs at alllevels, from platoon to corps.
“This has not changed,” the statementsaid.
In response to elevated threat levelsresulting from the “Innocence of Muslims” YouTube video, “ISAF has taken someprudent, but temporary, measures to reduce our profile and vulnerability tocivil disturbances or insider attacks,” the statement said.
This means that in some local instances,operational tempo has been reduced, or force protection has been increased,officials explained.
“These actions balance the tension ofthe recent video with force protection, while maintaining the momentum of thecampaign,” the statement said. “We've done this before in other high-tensionperiods, and it's worked well. Under this guidance, and as conditions change,we will continue to adapt the force posture and force protection.”
The security force assistance model isintegral to the success of Afghanistan’s national security forces, and ISAFwill return to normal operations as soon as conditions warrant, the statementsaid.