Afghan President Ashraf Ghani speaks to journalists at a joint news conference with U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter at the Presidential Palace in Kabul on July 12.
Advertisement
The visit comes shortly after U.S. President Barack Obama announced that the United States would keep 8,400 troops in Afghanistan in 2017 instead of reducing their numbers to 5,500 as previously planned.
Speaking later to U.S. troops at Bagram air base, however, Carter stressed that without continued global financial and military support, “Afghan forces aren’t going to be able to solidify their control over the country”.
Carter said Afghan forces, now in their second year providing security lead for their own nation, have demonstrated motivation, will and resilience in the face of a persistent enemy.
Before the new changes, Nicholson and his forces could only intervene against the Taliban when Afghan government troops requested assistance.
He added that USA forces had also supported Afghans in the south, and were shifting attention to Nangahar province and areas to the east.
He also was scheduled to meet with Afghanistan’s chief executive officer, Abdullah Abdullah, and the top US military commander in Afghanistan, General John W. Nicholson.
“We believe that the greatest threat to Pakistan’s security is terrorism, and therefore, we work with Pakistan wherever we can”, he said.
“Tonight, we take comfort in knowing that the tide of war is receding”, he said.
Obama and his generals have recently strengthened the anti-insurgency campaign by intensively bombing Islamic State’s allies in the east of the country, and by relaxing the rules of engagement so that USA forces can bomb Taliban warriors to protect Afghan forces whether or not Americans themselves are in danger. If the United States forces accompanying Afghan troops crossed over with them, this would naturally cause the kind of anger and uproar that is seen after USA drone strikes in the country. Please see our terms of service for more information.
The UK, for instance, announced that it will bump up its current troop level of 450 soldiers to 500.
The droning of Mullah Akhtar, the leader of Afghan Taliban on the Pakistani soil, non-cooperation with Pakistan on the issue of TTP operatives using Afghan territory for attacks on Pakistan and effective border management, are clear indications of the fact that the U.S. is actually not interested in resolving the Afghan conundrum.
Both Carter and Ghani also addressed the role of Afghanistan’s neighbour Pakistan, long accused by Kabul of sponsoring militants including the Taliban.
Every day, Carter said, almost 320,000 Afghan soldiers and police “are serving and fighting courageously”.
“Afghanistan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, leading ahigh-level delegation, left this evening to Warsaw, Poland to takepart in Warsaw Summit,”it said in the statement”.
Advertisement
“Corruption is as risky as terrorism”, Ghani said, adding that his government is working to end impunity through the formation of the Counter Corruption Center in the upcoming months. [It’s] not a bad place to have good friends.
