KABUL (SW) – The designated defense minister Assadullah Khalid said on Tuesday the number of foreign troops in Afghanistan may increase.
Khalid went to the Wolesi Jirga (lower house) to share his plans with the parliamentarians on Tuesday. He said that the number of foreign troops could increase, contrary to reports of a reduction in foreign troops in Afghanistan.
The acting Minister of Defense said that foreign troops would not quit Afghanistan completely. Khalid stressed that if the foreign forces leave Afghanistan completely, the Afghan security forces can defend the country on its own.
According to him, the Afghan security forces carry out 96% of the operations in the absence of foreign forces and only receive assistance from foreign forces in aerial operations. Regarding the Doha peace talks, he said he was not confident that the Doha talks would yield any result.
The acting Minister of Defense stated that there was no will among the Taliban to make peace and reduce violence.
Referring to the recent increase in Taliban attacks, Khalid said the group’s plans to overrun Kunduz, Uruzgan, Farah and Ghazni provinces had failed and on the contrary nine districts have been recaptured by the security forces from the Taliban.
The head of the Ministry of National Defense says that the security forces cover and control about 60% of the country’s territory through drones. He said security forces would be equipped with advanced equipment and resources, and the former Soviet military aircrafts would be replaced with the modern American aircrafts.
This comes as the US President Donald Trump hinted withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan by Christmas.
ENDS
