Taliban cannot wait coalition out, smart option is to reconcile: US general

The US and NATO’s Resolute Support Mission Commander in Afghanistan Gen. Austin S. Miller said that the simple question that “why are we here?” evinces a lot of different answers as he defined the presence of the coalition forces in the war-weary Afghanistan.
He said the answer in Afghanistan is reconciliation between the Afghan government and the Taliban.
“The war has continued for 17 years. NATO and coalition forces are in for the long haul, and the Taliban cannot hope to wait out the coalition. The smart option is to reconcile and rebuild Afghanistan together,” Miller said as quoted in a report by the US Department of Defense yesterday.
He said terror groups such as Daesh, al Qaida and others have no role in a new Afghanistan.
The US and NATO forces commander said 1,100 NATO and coalition troops, apart from American soldiers, have lost their lives in fight against “terrorism” in Afghanistan since 2001.
“This is not just an American conflict or problem. Terrorists have struck London, Madrid, Paris, Nice, Bali, the Philippines, Mumbai and many other cities and countries,” he said.
Miller, who has been commander of the NATO mission only since Sept. 2, said that what the coalition troops are doing in Afghanistan makes their own countries safer and that they are protecting their fellow citizens.
“The train, advise, assist mission allows Afghan security forces to take the fight to the enemy. They are working to give the Afghan government the security needed to provide stability. That makes the nation untenable for terrorists who want to make it a safe haven again,” said Miller.
This comes as the US and NATO forces vowed to help Afghan forces in providing security for the upcoming parliamentary election.
Military analysts say that foreign forces need to provide more training for more units of the Afghan army and police, and continue to support and improve the Afghan Air Force.