KABUL (SW): The U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Michael McKinley has said the situation in Kunduz cannot be ignored and it makes it more important than ever to re-double the efforts to support Afghanistan.
Ambassador was addressing young Afghan diplomats at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul on Wednesday. Commenting on the ongoing fighting between the government forces and the Taliban in the provincial capital of Kunduz province, he said it was a difficult moment for the country.
He said the Washington government has been supporting the transformation of Afghanistan for the past 13 years and would continue to do so.
Latest from Kunduz suggest the NATO special forces have reached Kunduz to bolster Afghan troops after the Taliban seized the strategic northern city, the military coalition said Wednesday.
"Coalition special forces are on the ground in Kunduz advising their Afghan counterparts," a NATO spokesman said.
The forces are comprised of the United States (US), British and German troops, a Western military source told AFP on condition of anonymity, without specifying the number.
The Ambassador urged young Afghan diplomats to show depth in going forward and developing good ties with the regional countries. “What we are hoping is that we can see depth in what you do going forward, that you are developing expertise in the wider trade of diplomacy to deal in particular with the importance of building good relations within the Central Asian regions, which is so important for the future of Afghanistan”, he said.
The Ambassador mentioned that the U.S. was working closely with the government of Afghanistan on many different levels including the difficult political question of peace talks [with the Taliban]. He expressed hope that Afghanistan would overcome this difficult phase.
“Change is possible, professional careers are possible, engagement with the world is possible, a new Afghanistan is possible”, he said.
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