Stoltenberg outlines NATO’s future support to Afghanistan

KABUL (Tolo News): NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Friday said as the alliance’s military presence is ending in Afghanistan, but added that NATO is opening a new chapter in the country and that its future support “will have three main pillars.”

According to a statement by NATO, the two leaders also discussed the fight against terrorism in Iraq, the Sahel region, and Afghanistan. Stoltenberg said that “first, we plan to provide advice and capacity-building support to Afghan security institutions.” This will also include “continued financial support to the Afghan security forces,” he said.

Second, Stoltenberg said, NATO is “planning to provide military education and training outside Afghanistan, focusing on Special Operations Forces.” And third, he said, they are “planning to fund the provision of services, including support for the functioning of Kabul airport.”

He said that all this will enable NATO allies and the broader international community to continue to help the Afghan people and contribute to the peace efforts.” This comes as US and coalition forces have started withdrawal from Afghanistan this month. But the plan has been accompanied by concerns about the future of the country’s achievements in the last two decades, including women’s rights, as well as the political future of the country.