Kabul would be happy to welcome extra help in war

Afghanistan backs US general’s call for coalition troop help

KABUL // Afghanistan yesterday endorsed a call from a United States general for thousands more troops to be sent to help stave off a resurgent Taliban.

Afghan forces, beset by record casualties and desertions, have struggled to rein in the Taliban since US-led Nato forces pulled out in December 2014.

“We welcome the proposal of deploying thousands of additional troops to effectively train and advise Afghan forces,” said Dawlat Waziri, defence ministry spokesman in Kabul.

“The war in Afghanistan is one against terrorism, and we want this to reach a successful end.” There are more than 13,000 Nato troops – including 8,400 US personnel – deployed to Afghanistan for training and counter- terrorism purposes, down from a peak of 140,000 in 2011.

But Gen John Nicholson, the senior US commander in Afghanistan, told the US congress that thousands more coalition troops were needed to break the stalemate.

In a recent phone call to Afghanistan’s president, Ashraf Ghani, US president Donald Trump said he would consider increasing the US presence. The White House said the men spoke again on Thursday to “discuss opportunities to strengthen the bilateral relationship in areas such as security and counterterrorism”. But spokesman Sean Spicer said the president would consult defence secretary James Mattis before deciding on Gen Nicholson’s request. The debate over troop numbers underlines concerns over the worsening security situation in Afghanistan, with insurgents threatening several provincial capitals amid anxiety that Pakistan, Russia and Iran were supporting the militants.