US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Monday that counterterrorism operations are critical.

“Counterterrorism operations remain critical to our efforts to achieving peace and ensuring terrorist organizations cannot find safe haven in Afghanistan,” said Esper in a joint press briefing with acting Interior Minister Andarabi, Minister of Interior Assadullah Khalid, and Gen. Scott Miller, the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

Esper hailed the contribution of the Afghan National Security and Defense Forces (ANDSF) in providing security for the recent presidential elections in Afghanistan and said that the ANDSF is playing a key role to protect the Afghan people from the senseless violence of the Taliban and terrorist groups.

In this episode host Wahid Ahmadi discusses the topic with Fardin Hashimi, a university lecturer, and Fahim Dashti, a journalist.