By Jim Garamone DoD News, Defense Media Activity
WASHINGTON, Sept. 27, 2017 — Defense Secretary Jim Mattis
told Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at a news conference in the Afghan capital
of Kabul today that the United States will stand by his country through thick
and thin.
It was Mattis' first visit to Kabul since President Donald
J. Trump announced the new South Asian strategy Aug. 21.
The strategy calls for more U.S. advisors in Afghanistan, to
be used in different ways and at different levels. It encompasses all aspects
of American power, employing diplomacy, economic might, intelligence and
military power to advance U.S. interests and ensure the safety of the American
homeland and the nation's allies and partners.
The strategy also addresses Pakistan providing safe havens
for terrorist cells inside its borders, but the bottom line is that it commits
the United States to Afghanistan – a country where Americans have fought and
died since 2001, the secretary said.
Reaffirming NATO's Commitment
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg joined Ghani and
Mattis at the news conference, and he reaffirmed the alliance's commitment to
Afghanistan, saying NATO wants to ensure the country doesn't become a safe
haven for terrorists again.
"We will not abandon Afghanistan to a merciless enemy
trying to kill its way to power," Mattis said. The secretary praised the
accomplishments of the Afghan security forces since they assumed responsibility
for the nation two years ago. "With our new conditions-based South Asian
strategy, we will be better postured to support you as you turn the tide
against the terrorists," he said.
Mattis said the strategy allows a more holistic approach to
solve the region's problems. The United States embracing this strategy
"also makes it clear we are not quitting this fight," he added.
"In short, uncertainty has been replaced by
certainty," Mattis said.
The secretary stressed that the strategy is
conditions-based, not time-based, "because war is principally a matter of
will, and we've made clear we have the will to stand together."
Afghanistan's security forces now have more than 300,000
trained members. NATO and partner forces will help to train the forces and
provide them with capabilities they do not currently have, Mattis said.
"Through our partnership, we will suffocate any hope
that al-Qaida or [the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria] or the Haqqani or
Taliban have of winning by killing," Mattis said. "I want to
reinforce to the Taliban that the only path to peace and political legitimacy
to them is through a negotiated settlement."
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment