Kabul [Afghanistan]: The commander of United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) forces in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson, has said that winning the war in Afghanistan is critical both for the county and for the entire world.
His assertion has come on the day when U.S. President Donald Trump is all set to unveil his strategy for ‘America’s engagement in Afghanistan and South Asia.
Indirectly conveying a message to the Taliban, which has been carrying out attacks in Afghanistan with the assistance of Pakistan, Nicholson said that the enemies have only one option to bring an end to the war they fight on behalf of neighbouring countries and to stop the killing of Afghan civilians.
“The fight against terror is the most important in the world today. The cost of failures are unimaginable. We must win not only for the future of Afghanistan and the Afghan people, but for the entire world. The enemy has this simple choice – stop fighting on behalf of the neighbours against your own people, stop killing innocent civilians, stop bringing hardship and misery to the Afghan people, lay down your arms, and build a better future for your country and your families. The message to the enemy is simple, you can not win,” Tolo News quoted Nicholson, as saying.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) has expressed hope that the U.S. strategy on the war in Kabul may help to reduce the level of violence in the country.
Recently, the chief of the U.S. Central Command, General Joseph Votel, visited Pakistan where he called on the Pakistan officials to make sure that terrorists do not use the Pakistani soil to launch attacks on neighbouring countries.
“Votel stressed that the Pakistani soil should not be used to plan or conduct terrorist attacks against its neighbours,” the U.S. embassy in Islamabad quoted Votel, as saying.
Meanwhile, a source within the Afghan government said on condition of anonymity that apparently a consensus has been made among White House officials on the deployment of additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan as part of the new strategy.
“If they want the strategy to be successful, they must put pressure on Pakistan, Iran, Qatar and Saudi Arabia,” said military analyst Mohsin Mukhtar.
There are speculations that Trump will review Pakistan’s role, troop levels in the fight against Taliban and other militant groups in the country.
“The negotiations took place between the U.S. and Afghan leaders, we hope that these relations continue in the best way,” said Mujib Rahimi, spokesman for CEO Abdullah Abdullah.
Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said that there were a number of options on the table when it comes to the new strategy on Afghanistan and the options included of the complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, deployment of additional forces or handing over the mission to private security firms.
President Donald Trump will address the nation on Monday night in a prime time address “on the path forward for America’s engagement in Afghanistan and South Asia.”
Trump is expected to announce the boost in U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
Recently at Camp David, President Trump met with advisors on the issue. He is also likely to adjoin 4,000 troops to the 8,400 now deployed in Afghanistan. (ANI)