KABUL (SW) – Mark Esper, Defense Secretary of the United States, has said the Taliban’s unwillingness to stop ‘senseless attacks’ on innocent civilians set back negotiations to establish peace.
He said this addressing the German Marshall Fund in Brussels on Thursday. He expressed satisfaction over the progress made by the Afghan forces. “I was encouraged by much of what I saw and heard. In Afghanistan, the Resolute Support Train, Advise, and Assist mission continues to improve the capability of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces. Their ability to maintain security during the recent elections was a good indication of the progress they’ve made”, he said.
Esper added the commencement this month of nineteenth consecutive year of conflict in Afghanistan is a reminder of just how difficult it is to end a war.
Later, speaking to journalists, he said, the performance of the Afghan National Security Forces has been wonderful. “I had a chance to view an exercise by some of the commandos and talk with some of their soldiers. They are committed to the defense of their country. They showed great strength and pride in having a relatively violent-free election, if you will”, he said.
He added the United States mission in Afghanistan remains unchanged. “And, that mission is: It's not just the United States, as all of our NATO partners and others who are there, is to ensure that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for terrorists to strike our homelands. And that is our commit to the mission, irrespective of how we optimize our force over time. But I think that's our mission. We're committed to doing that. And I reassured our Afghan partners of that as well”, he added.
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