MONITORING (SW) – Gen. Scott Miller, U.S. and NATO forces commander in Afghanistan, has said the presence of Daesh militants here remains a serious concern.
He said this on the sidelines of the NATO Defense Ministers’ meeting in Brussels. Gen. Miller said the presence of the Daesh militants in Afghanistan is not a ‘propaganda and invented’, but it is a serious threat, which needs to be taken seriously.
He stressed the so-called ISIS has a resilient presence in some provinces of Afghanistan such as Kunar and Nengarhar. He added the NATO’s role in Afghanistan remains to train, advise and assist the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces who are combating the Daesh militants.
Gen. Miller stressed nobody has safe access to the areas the Daesh militants are controlling so it is difficult to know the exact number of their fighters.
NATO Defence Ministers wrapped up two days of discussions in Brussels on Thursday (27 June 2019). Ministers addressed Russia’s violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, progress on burden sharing, NATO’s defence and deterrence posture, new technologies and NATO’s mission in Afghanistan.
ENDS
