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Afghan president meets visiting U.S. defense secretary

Xinhua, April 24, 2017 Adjust font size:

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani met with visiting U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis on Monday, ahead of expected decision on more U.S. troops for militancy-hit country, the Afghan Presidential Palace said.

The two sides discussed the security situation of Afghanistan and the region, fight against terrorism and bilateral ties, it said in a statement.

"Both sides talked over bilateral relations and cooperation. They also discussed fighting terrorism, narcotics and corruption," the statement added.

This is Mattis' first visit to the country since U.S. President Donald Trump's inauguration in January.

During the meeting Ghani said that terrorism, narcotics and corruption were the critical menaces which threaten security, stability and development in Afghanistan, adding joint regional and global efforts were needed to fight terrorism, according to the statement.

"The Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) was standing at the first line against terrorism and continues its earnest counter-terrorism efforts with full might for ensuring security and stability in Afghanistan, region and the world," Ghani noted.

However, the statement did not say whether the two sides discuss sending of more U.S. troops to the war-hit country.

The Pentagon chief said that U.S. will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Afghans for the future of Afghanistan, according to the statement.

The NATO and U.S. forces completed their combat mission in Afghanistan by the end of 2014, after 13 years of military presence in the country but around 13,000 foreign troops remain to train and assist Afghan security forces in their fight against the Taliban and the Islamic State (IS) fighters. Endit