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U.S Still Deciding On Afghan War Strategy: Mattis

U.S Defense Secretary James Mattis on Tuesday told reporters that the new U.S strategy on Afghanistan’s war will focus more on helping Afghan security forces win the battle against insurgents but that the U.S still needs to consider all aspects of the plan before sending in more troops to Afghanistan.

Mattis said a decision on final troop numbers has not been finalized but that U.S officials are in consultations with Afghan officials in this regard.

“I want to get updated before I make a decision. The easiest work to do is to start talking numbers and to me it is the worst place to start. I want to do everything else well. I don’t want extra troops, so this is an Afghan army fight and we are going to do everything we can to help them be successful in their fight,” said Mattis. 

Mattis made the remarks at the same time that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staffs of the U.S army, General Joseph Dunford, was in Kabul.

The presidential palace said in a statement Dunford met with President Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday and the meeting shows U.S’s long-term commitment for supporting and training Afghan security forces.

Dunford paid a quick visit to Afghanistan earlier this week to assess the security situation ahead of NATO’s defense ministers meeting in Brussels on Thursday, where Afghanistan will be discussed.   

Mattis meanwhile is fully-authorized by the U.S President Donald Trump to finalize the U.S’s new strategy on Afghanistan’s war. 

Meanwhile, the Afghan government is hopeful that the new U.S strategy will decrease the number of battles and help to eradicate insurgents – or at least mitigate the violence. 

“Supporting, equipping and financing security forces and the Afghan peace process and also creating regional and international anti-terror consensus are our main goals,” Jawed Faisal, CEO Deputy Spokesman said.

Afghan government is also trying to convince Washington to put more pressure on countries that support terrorists and to better equip Afghanistan forces.

“Supporting security forces in a more effective manner and cutting off foreign hands intervening in Afghanistan affairs should be included in the new strategy. Otherwise, it will achieve nothing,” a former military officer, Atiqullah Amarkhil said.

Meanwhile, the Afghan defense ministry said it will share it findings on the current security situation in the country with U.S officials in order to help them finalize their new strategy.

“We asked them to equip the Afghan defense forces, both the Air Force and the ground forces, with modern technology,” the defense ministry spokesman Mohammad Radmanish said.

It is not yet known how many extra troops will be deployed to Afghanistan but a final answer on the U.S’s figures is expected in July.

U.S Still Deciding On Afghan War Strategy: Mattis

Afghan officials are optimistic that the U.S’s new war plan will help decrease the number of battles with insurgents around the country

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U.S Defense Secretary James Mattis on Tuesday told reporters that the new U.S strategy on Afghanistan’s war will focus more on helping Afghan security forces win the battle against insurgents but that the U.S still needs to consider all aspects of the plan before sending in more troops to Afghanistan.

Mattis said a decision on final troop numbers has not been finalized but that U.S officials are in consultations with Afghan officials in this regard.

“I want to get updated before I make a decision. The easiest work to do is to start talking numbers and to me it is the worst place to start. I want to do everything else well. I don’t want extra troops, so this is an Afghan army fight and we are going to do everything we can to help them be successful in their fight,” said Mattis. 

Mattis made the remarks at the same time that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staffs of the U.S army, General Joseph Dunford, was in Kabul.

The presidential palace said in a statement Dunford met with President Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday and the meeting shows U.S’s long-term commitment for supporting and training Afghan security forces.

Dunford paid a quick visit to Afghanistan earlier this week to assess the security situation ahead of NATO’s defense ministers meeting in Brussels on Thursday, where Afghanistan will be discussed.   

Mattis meanwhile is fully-authorized by the U.S President Donald Trump to finalize the U.S’s new strategy on Afghanistan’s war. 

Meanwhile, the Afghan government is hopeful that the new U.S strategy will decrease the number of battles and help to eradicate insurgents – or at least mitigate the violence. 

“Supporting, equipping and financing security forces and the Afghan peace process and also creating regional and international anti-terror consensus are our main goals,” Jawed Faisal, CEO Deputy Spokesman said.

Afghan government is also trying to convince Washington to put more pressure on countries that support terrorists and to better equip Afghanistan forces.

“Supporting security forces in a more effective manner and cutting off foreign hands intervening in Afghanistan affairs should be included in the new strategy. Otherwise, it will achieve nothing,” a former military officer, Atiqullah Amarkhil said.

Meanwhile, the Afghan defense ministry said it will share it findings on the current security situation in the country with U.S officials in order to help them finalize their new strategy.

“We asked them to equip the Afghan defense forces, both the Air Force and the ground forces, with modern technology,” the defense ministry spokesman Mohammad Radmanish said.

It is not yet known how many extra troops will be deployed to Afghanistan but a final answer on the U.S’s figures is expected in July.

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