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Meeting November 28-29 in Riga, Latvia, NATO Heads of State and Government strengthened their commitment to NATO's Afghanistan mission, but also called for broader international engagement. Leaders of the 26 countries agreed to remove some caveats - national restrictions on how, when and where forces can be used - to further strengthen the effectiveness of the NATO-led forces in the country. "About 26,000 of the total 32,000 NATO ISAF forces are now more useable than they were for combat and non-combat missions," NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer declared.
The assembled leaders also confirmed that, regardless of the remaining caveats, in an emergency situation every Ally will come to the aid of the forces that require assistance. A number of countries also pledged additional assets, including fighters, helicopters, infantry companies...