Some Hungarian soldiers from the NATO on an armored vehicle patrol in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, on July 25, 2006.  (Xinhua Photo)

    KABUL, July 31 (Xinhua) -- The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) assumed the command of the U.S.-led Coalition forces in the volatile southern provinces of Afghanistan on Monday.

    The southern Afghanistan area of operations includes six provinces, Day Kundi, Helmand, Kandahar, Nimroz, Uruzgan and Zabul, where thousands of Taliban loyalists are said to have hidden.

    The transfer of authority is taking place amid increasing militancy in the southern region, where more than 600 insurgents have been killed since early June.

    Meantime, the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S.-led coalition forces General Karl Eikenberry, who handed over authority to the British soldier General David Richards, the commander of NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), lauded the process.

    "Today's transfer of authority demonstrates to the Afghan people that there is a strong commitment on the part of the international community to further extend security into the southern region's provinces," Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry was quoted as saying in NATO's latest statement.

    "This is a seamless transfer of responsibility and authority from the U.S.-led Coalition to NATO-ISAF. Having NATO committed to Afghanistan's future is good for the Afghan people and the entire international community," the U.S. General said.

    The U.S.-led Coalition forces retain responsibility for Afghanistan's eastern region, also known as Regional Command East,comprising the provinces of Paktika, Ghazni, Bamyan, Maydan Wardak,Logar, Khowst, Nangahar, Kabul, Parwan, Laghman, Kunar, Nuristan and Panjsher.

    Commander of NATO, who is facing many challenges in discharging his duties, has expressed his firm determination to stabilize security in the region.

    "NATO is here for the long-term, for as long as the government and people of Afghanistan require our assistance, we are committed to Afghanistan and its future," General Richards said on Saturday.     

    ISAF, which is currently made up of 37 nations from NATO and non-NATO states, has already been conducting operations in the 13 provinces of northern and western Afghanistan with about 10,000 troops.

    The NATO-led forces would have about 18,000 forces in Afghanistan after July 31 and own over 21,000 after its expansion into the east later this year, as most coalition forces would be incorporated into it. Enditem

Some French soldiers from the NATO on an armored vehicle patrol in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, on July 25, 2006. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) assumed the command of the U.S.-led Coalition forces in the volatile southern provinces of Afghanistan on July 31.  (Xinhua Photo)