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NATO Troop Levels in Afghanistan Will be Decided Later This Year: Stoltenberg
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday they have not decided exact troops levels for 2018 in Afghanistan, adding that it will be decided later on this year.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting of the Heads of the States and Government in Brussels on Thursday, Stoltenberg said: ” First of all we haven’t decided exact troop levels for 2018. Some allies also announced that they’re willing to increase their force contributions. But the exact force or troop levels will be decided later on this year.
“We reviewed our training mission in Afghanistan, and we agreed that we will continue to sustain our mission. I welcome that several Allies came forward today with new troop contributions. And on the basis of our review, we will take further decisions in the coming weeks.”
NATO is expected to increase the number of its troops in Afghanistan as the Taliban continues to cause serious threats to the government forces in the country.
The alliance have around 13,000 forces in the country mainly engaged in training, assisting and Advising mission with Afghan security forces.
“What we are aiming at and the purpose of our training mission in Afghanistan is to strengthen the capabilities and the capacities of the Afghan National Security Forces to fight Taliban and to fight the different terrorist groups in Afghanistan. And we are in particular working with the Afghan special operation forces,” NATO Secretary General said.
Stoltenberg said that developing Afghan Air force is key in the fight against insurgents and NATO is helping them in regard.
“We are also helping them to improve command and control,” he said.
He also said there is difficult situation in Afghanistan, “there will be more violence, more challenges, and still many, many unsolved problems in Afghanistan including the issue of corruption.”
“But we have made progress especially in building a strong national Afghan army and security force which has proven capable, professional and able to take over responsibility for the security in Afghanistan, without NATO forces conducting combat operations, but with our support.”
Eight security force members were killed and wounded in an IED explosion in Badakhshan province on Wednesday morning, officials confirmed.
The Ministry of Interior said three policemen died and five others were wounded in the explosion.
Abdul Mateen Qani, the spokesman of the Ministry of Interior Affairs, said: “Unfortunately, at around 11:00 AM today, a sticky mine (magnetic IED) that was already embedded in a motorcycle exploded in the Jawozon area of Faizabad city, Badakhshan province.”
According to Qani the device detonated while a convoy of police was traveling through the area. Police had been carrying out a poppy clearing operation.
Police are investigating the incident, Qani said.
So far, no group or individual has claimed responsibility for the explosion.
Khurasan Faryab defeated Istiqlal Kabul 1-0 in the 35th match of Afghanistan Champions League (ACL) in Kabul on Tuesday, while Sorkh Poshan Khafi thrashed Sarsabz Yashlar 4-1 in the 36th match of the tournament on the same day.
Khurasan’s only goal against Istiqlal Kabul was scored by Farid Ahmad – who was declared man of the match.
In the second match of the day, Sorkh Poshan Khafi’s four goals were scored by Habibullah Hotak and Omid Rajabi.
Khurasan’s Habibullah Hotak received the man of the match award.
Wednesday’s matches will see Abu Muslim Farah FC take on Adalat Farah FC at 1 PM, while Maiwand FC will play Jawanan Wahedi FC at 3:30 PM.
The matches are broadcast live on Ariana Television.
The Ministry of National Defense of Afghanistan (MoD) has strongly rejected Pakistan’s claim that the recent attack on Chinese nationals in Pakistan was planned from the territory of Afghanistan.
Late last month five Chinese nationals and one Pakistani were killed in a suicide bombing near Besham, in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, Inayatullah Khwarazmi, said that Daesh came from Pakistan to the territory of Afghanistan and its goals were organized from there.
He said that Pakistan should respond to these actions.
Khwarazmi, said that in an area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which is under the security of the Pakistan Army, the killing of Chinese nationals is either the weakness of the security institutions or their cooperation with the attackers.
Khwarazmi says that the Islamic Emirate has assured China that Afghans are not involved in such incidents.
The territorial tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan are on the rise again. In the latest issue, Islamabad has accused Kabul of harboring terrorist networks.
Pakistan’s intelligence service has claimed that the Besham attack was planned in Afghanistan.
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