NATO’s military committee chief said defense heads of member nations discussed the progress being made by the Afghan forces and the need for ongoing support.
Continued change in Afghanistan was highlighted during discussions at NATO Military Committee Meeting in Brussels on Tuesday and Wednesday.
According to the US Department of Defense, Czech Gen. Petr Pavel, the chairman of NATO’s Military Committee, said the chiefs – including partner nations – also received briefings from the commander of the alliance’s Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan.
Much has changed in the nation over the past year, he noted – the United States put its South Asia Strategy into place, and the alliance agreed to a larger train-and-assist effort in Afghanistan, reported Kabul based TOLO News.
“We discussed the strategic, operational and political context in and around Afghanistan, as well as our main effort to train, assist and advise the Afghan security forces and institutions,” Pavel said, adding that all of the chiefs stressed the enduring nature of the mission in Afghanistan and recognized the progress being made by Afghan security forces.
In addition to discussions on Afghanistan the NATO defense chiefs spoke about other challenges including those involving Syria and Iraq and Ukraine.
Pavel said they also recognized the progress achieved by the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces over the course of last year, in particular the growth of the Afghan Special Security Forces and the Afghan Air Force, improved leadership and the Afghan forces’ growing confidence in their ability to fight and win.
