KABUL - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said the alliance presence in Afghanistan was part of efforts to fight international terrorism and the existence of Daesh also known as Islamic State (IS) underlined the importance NATO military presence there, a media report said on Saturday.
Answering to a question over current security situation in Afghanistan he said: “we all see that the situation in Afghanistan is challenging and the Afghan national security forces face many threats and they are challenged by different groups, different terrorists groups but also by the Taliban. At the same time we have seen that the Afghan national army and security forces have been able to make a lot of progress. They have shown their dedication, their professionalism and they’ve been able to hold the ground and deny Taliban possibility to control any key areas.”
Addressing a press conference after NATO defence ministers meeting in Brussels on Thursday, he said NATO considered Afghan security forces fully capable to take charge of security situation in Afghanistan, adding the Afghan forces were capable to counter different Taliban attacks.
“There’s going to be continued fighting in Afghanistan and we have to be prepared also for surprises for the unforeseen, but I think that the main message is that the Afghan army and security forces have proven very capable, very determined and by continued support from NATO with training, assistance and advice for the Afghan forces and continued financial funding, I’m certain that they will, that they are able to continue to hold the ground and to fight back against Taliban.” (Pajhwok)