Now the Pentagon is planning to send to Afghanistan around 1000 more combat ‘advisers,' a large number of drones and other types of weaponry by the end of January to bolster efforts against the Taliban and the Daesh terrorist groups, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Mohammad Radmanesh, Afghan Defense Ministry deputy spokesperson, told Sputnik that the additional foreign troops will help Afghanistan counter terrorism.
"These servicemen will help train Afghan Security Forces, advise commanders on the tactical and operational levels of war, provide financial support, instruct on handling advanced technology to destroy enemy positions in caves and underground tunnels," Radmanesh said, adding that the US will continue assisting Afghanistan until Afghan Security Forces "regain [their] feet."
But some military experts note that increasing the number of foreign troops in Afghanistan will not be effective unless leaders pursue the objective of enhancing security and establishing stability in the entire region, as well as eliminating the Taliban and Daesh. Afghan political analyst Mohammad Hashemite Haikalzadah believes that more foreign troops in the country will only fuel the ongoing 17-year US war. No one but the country's own leadership has the ability to change the situation, and the foreign military presence in Afghanistan should depart the beleaguered nation.
"Equipping and training Afghan troops by the US, in order to counter terrorism, will not be effective until those in power change their policies," the expert observed.
The US has been in Afghanistan since October 2001. During this campaign, some 2,350 American soldiers have been killed, and over 20,000 injured. As of September 30, 2017, there were 15,282 US soldiers in the country, as well as at least 1,200 civilian employees of the Defense Ministry.
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