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KABUL (SW): United States Defense Secretary, James Mattis, and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg arrived in Kabul on Wednesday morning to meet with President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and other Afghan high-ranking officials.
James Mattis, U.S. Defense Secretary, in a meeting at the Arg (Presidential Palace) said that Washington will remain with the Afghanistan for a long time, and the American military strategy is not focused on time, but it will be situation based.
He emphasized that America will not allow the terrorists to take charge again and terrorist groups will face Washington's pressures as long as they fight in Afghanistan.
According to the senior U.S. official, the only way the Taliban reach their targets, is to join the Afghan peace process.
President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani stated that if Afghanistan emerges triumphant with the new U.S. strategy, it will benefit all the countries of the region.
According to President Ghani, the changes that have taken place in the region give Afghanistan a chance not to remain in the past and take advantage of the opportunities provided for peace.
"We want peace through 2 sides, one peace with Pakistan, which will be achieved through government with the government talks. Peace in Afghanistan is not at the expense of any country. Two, peace among the Afghans, and nobody can impose itself on the people of Afghanistan. "
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg acknowledged that NATO’s presence in Afghanistan has come “at great human cost”, but stressed that the costs of leaving would outweigh those of remaining. “If NATO leaves, we risk Afghanistan returning to a state of chaos: a safe haven for international terrorism,” he said.
U.S. President Donal Trump announced his new strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia last month. According to experts if this strategy implemented in Afghanistan, it will bring peace and suppress the terrorists.
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