US and NATO forces commander in Afghanistan Gen. Scott Miller has said the increasing violence instigated by the Taliban is putting the peace process at risk.
Talking to reporters in Kabul, Gen. Miller said he believed the opportunity for peace should not be squandered.
He also called the infrastructure damage by the Taliban as sad, saying the infrastructure was something that affected the Afghan people.
US Chargé d’Affaires Ross Wilson on the occasion said the higher violence was an unbearable burden on Afghan armed forces and society.
“And it also adds to the isolation of provincial centers like Lashkargah. You can’t get there, leaving aside the matter of armed forces movements.”
When asked about the motive behind the increased violence, Gen. Miller: Clearly, the Taliban use violence as leverage. It’s a tool they’ve used for a long time and it’s one they’re loathing to abandon. We press them pretty hard on violence. You know, we have been pressing them since 1 March 2020.”
To another question he said the Afghan security forces were absolutely essential to the peace process. “They have to hold. They have to hold terrain. They have to protect the people. We talk about that routinely. They certainly have our support to build sustainable security institutions. But they have to hold. We are making sure they know we’re still there from an air support standpoint and able to help and protect them during combat operations.”
