KABUL (SW) – Gen. John Nicholson, Commander of the U.S. Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A) and the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission, said during a press conference in Brussels on Friday the confiscation of armoured vehicles by the Taliban in Afghanistan is matter of concern.
NATO Defence Ministers concluded a two-day meeting in Brussels on Friday with a discussion of the Alliance’s training mission in Afghanistan. In the press briefing, Gen. Nicholsan said during question and answers session that typically such equipment are captured from isolated check posts that are overrun by the Taliban.
Responding to the question posed by Salam Watandar, he said consultations are underway with Afghan forces to reduce the number of such check posts and consolidate them for offensive purposes. He said NATO is advising the Afghan forces in a bid to strengthen them and to reduce the number of checkpoints falling to the Taliban along with heavy weapons.
About prospects for peaceful settlement in Afghanistan, Gen. Nicholson said the international backing for the peace offer by President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and the U.S. South Asia policy have developed hopes for the Afghan government and the Taliban to enter peace negotiations.
Gen. Nicholson praised the Afghan security forces saying for the very first time these forces continued their offensive operations during the winter. He said there were five major incidents in this while, but the Afghan forces overcame the situation within hours or few days. He noted one such incident was the armed assault by terrorists on the Ministry of Interior compound in Kabul.
The NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, has said the Alliance will agree to extend funding to the Afghan Security Forces to 2024 at next month’s Summit.
ENDS
