MONITORING (SW) – The NATO Secretary General has reiterated support for Afghanistan as he paid tribute to the victims of 9/11 attacks.
At a ceremony in Brussels, he said soon after 9/11, Allies deployed to Afghanistan. “Hundreds of thousands of troops, from Europe, Canada and beyond, have served shoulder-to-shoulder with US troops. Many have paid the ultimate price. And many more have been seriously wounded. We remember them. And we must make sure that their sacrifice was not in vain”, he said.
Stoltenberg said the fight against terrorism is a global, generational fight. “We remain committed to Afghanistan. NATO Allies and partners will continue to train and advise Afghan security forces. To make them stronger, so that they can fight international terrorism and create security and stability in their own country”, he said, adding the NATO military presence is there to create the conditions for peace. “But the road to peace is long and hard”, he said.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has said the US is hitting the Taliban “harder than they have ever been hit before”. “if for any reason they come back to our country, we will go wherever they are and use power the likes of which the United States has never used before, and I’m not even talking about nuclear power”, he said.
“They will never have seen anything like what will happen to them,” he said. “No enemy on earth can match the overwhelming strength, skill, and might of the American armed forces", he said.
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