NATO chief says mission creep, corruption hurt Afghan effort

By LORNE COOK and DAVID KEYTON
Associated Press

RIGA, Latvia (AP) — NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says the military organization was a victim of mission creep in Afghanistan as the international community went from fighting extremists to trying to rebuild the conflict-torn country. Stoltenberg addressed NATO’s role on Wednesday after foreign ministers debated a report on the lessons from the alliance’s 18-year presence in Afghanistan. Stoltenberg says Afghan security forces “were hampered by corruption, poor leadership, and an inability to sustain their own forces” before the Taliban returned to power in August. He said the the chaotic airlifts from Kabul revealed the need “to strengthen NATO’s ability to conduct short-notice, large scale non-combatant evacuation efforts.” Stoltenberg says the report’s main findings will be made public.