NEW YORK (Sputnik) — The number of additional US military forces recently sent to Afghanistan to help combat terrorist groups is very small compared to previous surges, Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani said during a Council on Foreign Relations event on Thursday.
"The increase in number of American forces is extraordinary modest in contrast to major surge that happened under president Obama," Ghani stated.
Ghani noted that US troops will not assume a combat role, but instead play an essential role in assisting Afghanistan to complete a comprehensive, four-year security reform on an administrative level.
It was a pleasure to have President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan with us this morning! #USAatUNGA #UNGA pic.twitter.com/HOEVfnMn14
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 21, 2017
The Afghan president said he envisions the reform as a major overhaul of security forces in terms of leadership and management.
Ghani called on the Taliban to engage in political dialogue and end violence as means of communication.
Discussions with the government of Pakistan are vital to ensuring stability in the region, Ghani said.
Earlier on Thursday, Ghani met with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly.
Earlier, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism reported a significant increase in the US airstrikes in Afghanistan under President Donald Trump. According to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, since early 2017, the US Air Force has launched a total of 2,353 airstrikes across Afghanistan, compared to 1,072 such strikes in 2016.
