NATO has taken command of a 5,000-strong international peacekeeping force in the Afghan capital of Kabul. Canada, the single largest contributor to the force, has assumed the lead in the risky policing job.

Until the transfer to the alliance Monday, Germany and the Netherlands jointly led the International Security Assistance force, known as ISAF.

In a ceremony Monday in a school auditorium, outgoing commander German Lt. Gen. Norbert van Heyst handed control to NATO Lt. Gen. Gotz Gliemeroth. His deputy will be Canadian Maj.-Gen. Andrew Leslie.

Afghan interim president Hamid Kharzai was on hand for the ceremony.

"The peace that you're bringing us today through your contribution is ... what is bringing to the Afghan people institution building for the future of this country.... So the Afghan people will eventually stand on their own two feet," Kharzai told the assembly.

The ISAF, which is made up of 1,950 soldiers -- half of which are Canadian in its first year -- primarily patrols Kabul.

Compared to outlying regions, it is relatively safe for civilians and aid workers.

"Whilst the international community focuses on progress, essentially they're looking at Kabul," Rina Amiri, a United Nations political affairs officer, told CTV News. "But when you look at the outskirts, we don't have security."

NATO admits it has received many calls, including from the UN and the Afghan government, to expand its role. For now, though, the answer is no.

"You know, we're not stupid," said NATO spokesman Mark Laity. "Inevitably it will have to be discussed because people will force us to discuss it.

"But what I want to make crystal clear is that we at present have a fixed, definite mandate, which is the same mission, the same mandate, same banner and there has been no debate about expanding it."

Speaking after NATO's takeover, Leslie said Canada would have to bring in more troops or another country would have to contribute to ISAF if its role was expanded.

"If we go outside the box, we'll have to contribute more soldiers or get someone else to do it," said Leslie, commander of Canadian Forces in Afghanistan. "I think we're contributing enough right now.

"The last thing you want to do is have very small groups of soldiers isolated in very mountainous and difficult terrain because, of course, that creates its own security issues."

The 31-nation ISAF was created in December 2001 to bolster security in the wake of the U.S.-led war on terror that saw the Taliban ousted.

However, Scott Taylor of the Esprit de Corps Magazine said the mission was originally intended to be a short one.

"The fact is we are now committing troops on an ongoing basis to Kabul. That was never the intended purpose," he told CTV's Canada AM. "They were supposed to rebuild Afghanistan, put it back on its feet and hopefully spread democracy to the entire country.

"They are no further ahead on that now than they were 18 months ago when the Taliban collapsed."

The deployment in Asia is NATO's first outside Europe since the organization was formed during the Cold War. It currently leads other peacekeeping forces in Kosovo and Bosnia.

With a report from The Canadian Press