Government newsletter - Sweden's commitment in Afghanistan and Kosovo to change
13 January 2012

Sweden's commitment in Afghanistan and Kosovo to change

Photo: Nicklas Gustafsson/Combat Camera

This year, Sweden will be changing its peace and security operations in Afghanistan and Kosovo. This change is taking place to adapt to the increasingly stable situation in these countries. In future, there will be a greater focus on development assistance and civilian operations, while military support will gradually be phased out.

On Sunday, politicians, experts and journalists will meet in Sälen for the Society and Defence annual conference. Representing the Government will be Minister for Defence Sten Tolgfors, Minister for International Development Cooperation Gunilla Carlsson and Minister for Education Jan Björklund. For more than 60 years now, Sweden has been engaged in military operations in other parts of the world, such as Korea, the Middle East, Chad, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Somalia, Libya, Kosovo and Afghanistan. The aim has always been to increase stability in troubled countries and regions to enable democratic and economic development. By taking part in international operations, Sweden is involved and takes its responsibility for international peace and security. But as the world changes, so do Sweden's operations abroad. In recent years, the situation in Afghanistan and Kosovo has become more stable. This is why Sweden is now planning to gradually bring its troops home. This year, 2012, will be a year in which a major share of the responsibility for security is placed on the Afghans and Kosovans themselves.

Sweden's presence in Afghanistan to be reduced and changed

The Afghan Government and the international community have agreed that, by the end of 2014, Afghanistan will have assumed the main responsibility for the country's security, development and governance. As a consequence, international military support - including Swedish military support - will gradually be phased out and replaced by strengthened civil support.
For Sweden, this means that participation in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan will be reduced in 2012. The mandate was extended last year following a broad agreement between the Government, the Swedish Social Democratic Party and the Green Party. This agreement means that, as of the beginning of this year, Sweden's military presence will gradually be reduced. At the same time, Sweden will continue to strengthen the various civilian operations in Afghanistan. Development assistance will increase to SEK 560 million, with further increases planned in the coming years. This will enable Sweden to continue to take a large share of responsibility for improving the situation in the country. In 2012, the Swedish-led task force in Mazar-e-Sharif will be placed under civilian leadership.

Sweden to train Afghan security forces

The basic idea is that Sweden's presence in Afghanistan is to be adapted in terms of both size and focus over the next few years, starting this year. If required, Sweden is also prepared - from the summer of 2014 when military operations will have ended - to contribute approximately 200 people for a training programme for instructors and the support and protection functions that may be needed for the Afghans themselves to take responsibility for security in the country.

Gradual scale-down of operations in Kosovo

Sweden has had military personnel based in Kosovo since 1999. Last year the mandate for Sweden's participation in the Kosovo Force (KFOR) was extended, but the nature of the mandate was changed. As Kosovo becomes increasingly stable, Sweden is phasing out its military operations. In 2009, Sweden began to reduce the scope of its Kosovo operations when NATO made a similar assessment of its own presence in the region, and now Sweden is further scaling down its force.

Foto: Försvarsmakten/Combat Camera

The reason is simply that Kosovo's own capacity to maintain law and order in the country is growing constantly. As more and more protection functions are handed over to the Kosovan authorities, the importance of international - and Swedish - military presence is decreasing. The Swedish group, consisting of some 70 people until April 2012, will therefore be gradually scaled down until Sweden brings its troops home at the end of December 2013.

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