1979-1989 and the initial military operations of the Northern Alliance and US army in 2001 heralded the beginning of this new type of conflict-asymmetric warfare of the 21st century [3]. Under the protection of the Taliban, Al Qaeda worked secretly and had become a well-organized terrorist organization. The situation, therefore, required modified military doctrine and a new mindset toward revised strategy and tactics [4]. However, US and NATO forces had little experience in fighting in such conditions, had to learn from their mistakes, and the elaboration of the new doctrine took time.
After suppressing the Taliban state in Afghanistan, the US-led coalition implemented a multilevel program of reconstruction within the country. Without this rebuilding, the Taliban or an Al Qaeda backed regime could likely regain influence. The first editorials on this subject appeared as early as September 2001 [5]. Absolutely necessary, however, was the establishment of internationally recognized legal authority within the state. This occurred officially after the Bonn Conference (5 December 2001) [6] and by 22 December 2001 Hamid Karzai assumed office as Prime Minister and NATO forces within Afghanistan received UN mandate to continue the protection and stabilization of the country [7].
The first International Security Assistance Force (ISAF I) consisted of 5,000 soldiers based in Kabul by December 2001. This marked the beginning of NATO's official commitment into the conflict. Major General John McColl of the British Army commanded ISAF I until July 2002 [8].
Beginning in June 2002, command of the mission (now ISAF II) transitioned to Turkey on the basis of UN resolution 1413 (2002), and Turkish Major General Hilmi Akin Zorlu commanded the mission until January 2003. Simultaneously, NATO confirmed the support of Germany and the Netherlands for the mission. Lieutenant General Norbert Van Heyst of the German Army took command of ISAF III, holding this office from January to August 2003 [9].
A key development came on 15 April 2003 with the NATO decision affecting authority over the international peacekeeping force in Afghanistan on the basis of UN resolution 1386 (20 December 2001). Additionally, the Security Council authorized ISAF to operate forces throughout the area of Afghanistan [10].
In summer 2003, the commander of ISAF IV was again a German officer, Lieutenant General Gotz Gliemeroth. In December 2003, NATO took command of the Provincial Reconstruction Group in Qunduz from Germany in what became an enlargement of the war from simple military action against the Taliban to the fight for the hearts and minds of the citizens of Afghanistan. The following months yielded great changes for Afghan statehood, and on 7 October 2004, Hamid Karzai won the first democratic presidential election.
From April 2003 to August 2004, Canadian Lieutenant General Rick Hillier commanded ISAF V. In 2005, during ISAF VI, under the command of French General Jean-Louis Py, NATO decided to broaden activity in western Afghanistan [11].
In connection with the upcoming parliamentary election in 2005, NATO decided to increase military operations in the southern provinces as well. During ISAF VII, lead by Turkish General Ethem Erdagi, the first parliamentary election in 30 years took place on 18 September 2005.
Italian General Mauro Del Vechio commanded ISAF VIII during which defense ministers of the NATO states attended a conference in London to decide on safety measures and the reform of the Afghan defense system. From this conference came «Building On Success, the London Conference on Afghanistan, the Afghan Compact.» This was a breakthrough in reference to the close coordination between ISAF forces and the US Army working within the framework of Combined Forces Command- Afghanistan [12].
British General David Richards commanded ISAF IX beginning in June 2006. Based on the difficulties of earlier increases to the scope of activity in southern Afghanistan, on 8 June 2006, the 37 defense ministers of the NATO states met regarding ISAF. They unanimously offered support, and by the end of June, plans were put into effect, widening the activities of the ISAF contingent in the six southern provinces [13].
The direction and condition of the collaboration between NATO and the government of the Islamic Afghan Republic were defined in the 6 September 2006 declaration «Framework for Enduring Cooperation and Partnership.» In this document, NATO announced reforms of the defense system in Afghanistan, construction of defensive institutions, and the cooperation between the Afghan National Army (ANA) and NATO forces. In October 2006, ISAF took command of international forces in eastern Afghanistan from the US Combined Forces Command.
The first American commander, General Dan K. McNeill took command of ISAF X (June 2006 - December 2007) and remained as the commander of ISAF XI through June 2008. The consolidation of command greatly facilitated the coordination of military operations in Afghanistan.
Preparations began for the next step of building democracy in Afghanistan: the
