RUSSELS - US and NATO forces’ top commander in Afghanistan Gen. John Nicholson on Thursday said the western military alliance’s commitments sent a clear message to the enemies that they would never succeed in the war-torn country.
Speaking at a press conference after a two-day foreign ministerial meeting of NATO countries in Brussels, the Belgian capital, Gen. Nicholson said the Taliban were destroying Afghanistan while the Afghan forces and government were rebuilding the country.
Foreign ministers from NATO member states and allies and Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani attended the conference on Tuesday and Wednesday and reviewed the security situation in Afghanistan and solidified pledges made at the Warsaw Summit in Poland in July.
The US general NATO and its allies pledged long-term military, political and financial support to Afghanistan in the Brussels Conference.
“Our commitments send a message to the enemies of Afghanistan that they would never succeed,” Nicholson said, adding the Afghan forces were working day and night and giving sacrifices for a bright future of their country and people.
The aim of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan was to prevent the country from again becoming a safe haven of terrorists, he added.
NATO’s training and advising mission would still continue after 2016 in Afghanistan and would deploy 12,700 soldiers from 30 countries there, he said.
“Afghan forces this year were put the test and they showed great performance and confidence,” Nicholson said.