Efforts in Afghanistan paying dividends: CENTCOM chief

WASHINGTON (Pajhwok): America’s efforts in Afghanistan continue to pay dividends, the head of of US Central Command (CENTCOM) claimed on Tuesday.

“We, along with our coalition partners, have made tremendous investments in that country over the last 15 years,” Gen Joseph Votel told reporters at a Pentagon news conference.

“The Afghans today are in the lead and they are taking the fight to the enemy through their sustainable security strategy,” the general said.

TheAfghan forces were doing well while dealing with tough challenges in places like Helmand province, demonstrating resilience and the capability of defending their sovereign spaces, he remarked.

Meanwhile, the train, advise and assist and counterterrorism efforts in Afghanistan were also proving effective, to include its fight against the ISIL affiliate and the Islamic State in Khorasan.

“During a recent visit to Afghanistan, I spent time with our train, advise and assist teams, and with the corps commanders leading the Afghan forces.

“Across the board, I was extremely impressed by their skill, their determinationand their extraordinarily high level of resilience,” Votel said.

The commander said the recent combined operations against the Islamic State in Khorasan had resulted in destruction of 25 percent of their forces.

With President Obama's decision to keep 8,400 US troops in the country through 2017and the additional powers that had to target the Islamic State, the Afghans would continue to build on the momentum achieved to date, Votel concluded.

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