Djibouti , Dec. 12, 2005 (AKI) - The Netherlands has assumed command of the maritime arm of the multi-lateral Enduring Freedom anti-terrorist operation, targeting al-Qaeda and other terror formations, Radio Netherlands reported on Monday. The fleet - Task Force 150 - includes three Dutch ships, as well as vessels from Canada , Germany and Pakistan and several other countries. It is based in the tiny but strategic East African Muslim country of Djibouti , located at the mouth of the Red Sea .

Dutch commander Hank Ort will command ten to fifteen ships deployed in the Arabian Sea . In April, the Netherlands will hand over command to Pakistan 's navy. Pakistan will be the first non-Western nation to be in charge of part of the Enduring Freedom operation, the United States ' military response to al-Qaeda's 11 September 2001 attacks on New York and other targets in America .

The US is continuing to reduce its forces within Enduring Freedom. In Afghanistan , these are being replaced by NATO forces, international peacekeeping troops, and Afghan-led security forces such as the Afghan National Army (ANA)