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NATO Secretary General reiterates support to Afghanistan

Xinhua, March 15, 2016 Adjust font size:

Visiting NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday reiterated the military alliance's support to Afghanistan.

Addressing a joint press conference with Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani here in the fortified Arg or Presidential Palace, Stoltenberg said that NATO would continue to support Afghan security forces within the framework of the Resolute Support (RS) mission to eliminate terrorism.

However, the official, emphasized for bringing reforms, saying that NATO, besides encouraging the work of the National Unity Government, believes that Afghanistan's long-term success requires further reforms.

"It means stepping up Afghan investment in the security forces. And it also means ensuring that human rights, including for women and children, are fully respected," NATO's chief asserted.

The NATO Secretary General's visit to Afghanistan took place amid increasing militancy as both the Taliban insurgents and Islamic State (IS) militants have intensified attacks over the past couple of months, especially in the countryside.

The top NATO official who met with president Ghani and the Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah earlier in the day, admitted at the conference that 2015 was a difficult year for Afghan forces, adding the Afghan security forces are standing strong to protect the Afghan people as they took full charge of security across their country despite significant challenges.

Since Jan. 1 last year, Afghan security forces have assumed the full security charges from NATO and the United States forces after the foreign troops switched mission from combat to support role, which focuses on training, advising and assisting Afghan national security forces.

Nearly 13,000 foreign forces are currently stationed in the militancy-hit Afghanistan within the framework of the NATO-led Resolute Support (RS) mission to help Afghan forces in the field of training and advising.

Nevertheless, the official added that NATO would continue to provide financial support to the Afghan forces as the alliance continues to support the Afghan forces with training, advice and assistance through the Resolute Support mission.

For his part, president Ghani thanked NATO for its support to Afghanistan and stated that Afghan government is committed to fighting corruption and bringing reforms. Enditem