WASHINGTON - NATO has been an effective partner of the United States in the war against terrorism in Afghanistan, the White House said Monday, as a leading presidential candidate claimed that the alliance was no longer required.
“We welcome the valuable contribution that NATO has made to our efforts in Afghanistan. Much of the progress that we have made would not have been possible without the significant contributions that NATO has made,” said the White House press secretary.
Josh Earnest told reporters at his daily news conference the partnership had enabled the US to succeed in decimating Al Qaeda, which previously operated with virtual impunity in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. “And we've made enormous progress in helping the Afghan government begin to assume much more control for the security situation.” he argued.
“That is ultimately the key to our success. That has been a long road and we've got a substantial journey ahead of us before we can see the kind of resolution in Afghanistan that we would like to see. But there is no denying that we've made important progress,” he said.
Earnest was responding to a question on a meeting between President Barack Obama and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the White House on Monday, during which the two leaders discussed the current situation in Afghanistan.
“The US and our military personnel in Afghanistan are going to continue to focus on their two missions: Counterterrorism and training Afghan security forces. NATO obviously plays an important role in supporting those missions, particularly the second one, and we have seen improved performance by the Afghan security forces on the battlefield,” Earnest concluded. (Pajhwok)