KABUL - Some MPs said NATO should rather target terrorist havens in Pakistan while others welcomed the move to send in more foreign troops
A number of MPs from the Wolesi Jirga (the Lower House of Parliament) on Saturday welcomed NATO’s move to send in more troops to Afghanistan, while others said instead of sending in more troops NATO should put more pressure on Pakistan to eliminate terrorist safe havens.
“NATO and America should force those countries that support terrorist groups to end what they are doing,” MP Nader Shah Bahar said.
“Why do you not put pressure on Pakistan? Why do you support that country? Why you do not impose economic sanctions against this country? With these dual policies, Afghanistan’s problems cannot be resolved,” MP Mohammad Sarwar Osmani said.
Meanwhile, parliament’s second deputy speaker, Mohammad Nazir Ahmadzai said if NATO instead invested the same amount of money into the Afghan security forces as what was going towards mobilizing foreign troops, results would be much better.
“If the money that will be spent on foreign troops got spent on Afghan forces and the air force, the result would be much better,” said Ahmadzai.
But some MPs welcomed the move and said an increase in foreign troops could play a significant role in helping Afghan forces fight insurgents.
“I think any move to strengthen government, no matter if it is directed from a distance or through physical presence alongside Afghan forces, it will make Afghanistan more stable and I think the foreign troops increase is a positive move,” Zahir Sadat, an MP said.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday confirmed the alliance would send more troops to Afghanistan to train Afghan security forces and help them win the battle against terrorist groups.
NATO will expand its presence in Afghanistan based on two logics: One, to fill the gaps in NATO and the United States’ mission in Afghanistan, and second is to prevent Taliban of taking more areas and helping Afghan security forces to retake the fallen areas from insurgents.
Stoltenberg did not however reveal exactly how many more troops would be sent to Afghanistan.  Currently there are around 13,000 in total. (Tolonews)