NATO defense ministers confirm support for Afghanistan

NATO defense ministers confirmed enduring support for Afghanistan in a ministerial meeting on Thursday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a press conference here.

Together with Afghan Acting Minister of Defense Masoom Stanezkai, the ministers reviewed the security situation and the first six months' operation of the NATO-led Resolute Support mission.

The NATO-led Resolute Support mission was launched to provide further training, advice and assistance for the Afghan security forces and institutions, following the completion of the mission of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) at the end of 2014.

While noting that "it has been a challenging time," Stoltenberg stressed that the Afghan forces "have dealt with this effectively."

The secretary general reaffirmed that the Alliance will continue to support Afghanistan in the years ahead, saying "NATO and our partners stand with Afghanistan."

Ministers welcomed the Afghan government's ambitious program of reforms, and encouraged them to implement these quickly and thoroughly.

"Our forces continue to provide training, advice and assistance," said Stoltenberg, adding "we are beginning to plan for the next stage of our resolute support mission." Endit