Kabul says Afghan military ready to safeguard nation

Amin Alemi
Press TV, Kabul

The heads of Afghanistan’s security agencies have touched upon plans to withdraw foreign forces from the country, giving assurances that the Afghan military is, like in the past, capable of tackling threats posed by insurgents and terror groups.

Nowadays, Afghan security and military forces are witnessing the last months of the presence of their US-led NATO allies. These forces are determined to protect their country against any threats on their own without any outside help.

As top military officials here say, the Afghan armed forces will overcome any challenges after the pullout of foreign troops by drawing on the experience they have gained in fighting terrorism over the past two decades.

Confirming that Afghan military and security forces are still in need of financial support, the Afghan government says the good news is that foreign forces will hand over military hardware to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces when they leave the country by September 11.

According to experts, because the Afghan national armed forces are popular among locals, Afghan people are expected to stand by these troops and support any possible scenario that might unfold after the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan.

Still, they urge both the Afghan government and the Taliban to set aside their differences and use the Afghan peace process as a great opportunity to put an end to the decades-long misery of the war-weary nation.

Top Afghan security officials say they stand ready to safeguard the nation in case the Taliban continue to insist on saying no to negotiations. In the meantime the Taliban militant group has recently boycotted the Turkey Summit on the Afghan peace process due to what it calls the violation of the US-Taliban deal signed between the two sides in the Qatari capital Doha last year.

According to the head of Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security, the Taliban is now weaker than ever due to alleged rifts between the militant group’s main leadership in Quetta Shura and its offshoot in Pakistan’s Peshawar. This is thought to be a major stumbling block if the militants seek to put up a fight against some 300,000 Afghan security and defense forces after the withdrawal of the nearly 10,000 foreign troops from Afghanistan.

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