NATO Allies Intend to Fund Afghan Defense Forces Until 2020

© AFP 2023 / WAKIL KOHSARUS army and Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers walk as a NATO helicopter flies overhead
US army and Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers walk as a NATO helicopter flies overhead - Sputnik International
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US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter welcomed on Wednesday the NATO counterparts' commitment to providing financial support to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) in the period until the end of 2020.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The NATO mission to train, advise and assist Afghan security forces was launched on January 1, 2015 as a follow-up on the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) combat mission, which completed at the end of 2014. NATO foreign chiefs agreed in December 2015 to sustain the RSM presence during 2016.

"I was pleased today to hear from NATO counterparts the good news that they, too, intend to provide funding to sustain the ANDSF through 2020, like the United States does," Carter said.

Afghan alleged former Taliban fighters carry their weapons before handing them over as part of a government peace and reconciliation process at a ceremony in Jalalabad on February 24, 2016 - Sputnik International
US Afghan War Policy Reflects Taliban Strength
Earlier in the day, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the alliance will continue its support mission to Afghanistan and is committed to supporting the country's national security forces

On Thursday, US media reported that the Obama administration would give US forces broader authority to advise conventional Afghan troops with missions the same way they have been assisting Afghan Special Forces personnel.

Afghanistan is struggling with a political, economical and social crisis as it attempts to tackle the Taliban's insurgency. The situation in the country has worsened in recent months, with the Taliban launching offensives in major cities.

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