"This is a signal moment in the history of the alliance," General James Jones told reporters after a ceremony in Kabul to hand over command of the International Security Force (ISAF) from the departing German commanders to a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation general.

"It is certainly a point in time where we're making a clear statement of transition which is from the 20th century defensive bipolar world into the multi-polar flexible need for rapid response across an area of threats that face us," Jones said.

The ISAF peacekeeping mission is the US-led alliance's first operation outside Europe in its 54-year history.

"It certainly signals to the rest of the world that NATO as an alliance has a will to play in the global community with regard to operations such as this one and it announces that NATO is both serious and capable of doing what it needs to do and wishes to do in support of the United Nations and in support of other priorities that might come our way," he said.

A NATO spokesman on Sunday said the September 11 attacks on the United States had forced the alliance to revise its traditional defence strategy after spending nearly 60 years basically guarding its European borders.

"The most powerful member of the alliance was attacked by a threat which emanated from Afghanistan so the traditional concepts of security needed to be revised," Mark Laity said, referring to fugitive al-Qaeda head Osama bin Laden who was harboured by the ousted Taliban.

"This is our first mission beyond Europe and this is part of NATO adapting to the new security environment.

"To understand that to defend yourselves, to ensure safety, it is no good waiting for the threat to cross your border, you have to be broad, you have to deal with the challenges of the security environment in a different way," Laity said.

While 31 nations now contribute to ISAF, 90 percent of the force's 5,300 troops are supplied by NATO members.

The NATO takeover ends the search for new lead nations for the peacekeepers, who have been under British, Turkish and the outgoing joint German-Dutch command since the force was established in December 2001 to help with security in Kabul.

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