Regional army chiefs vow to step up attacks on Taliban

New Commander of Resolute Support forces and United States forces in Afghanistan, U.S. Army General John Nicholson, speaks during a change of command ceremony in Resolute Support headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, March 2, 2016. (AP)

KABUL: Regional defense officials ended a two-day conference on security in Afghanistan on Wednesday with a joint pledge to combat terrorism in the face of rising attacks by Taliban and Daesh affiliates.
The meeting was hosted by the US military, which has stepped up attacks against Taliban fighters, suspected Daesh affiliates and militants from central Asian countries in the northern parts of Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province.
The attacks in northern regions, mostly carried out by long-range B-52 bombers, mark the start of a new phase of the conflict.
Gen. John Nicholson, Commander of the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission and of US forces in Afghanistan, took part in the meeting along with army chiefs from Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
But defense officials from three other regional nations, Russia, Iran and China, which have objected to the US military’s presence in Afghanistan following the ousting of the Taliban in late 2001, were not present.
An Afghan defense spokesman, Gen. Mohammed Radmanesh, said he was encouraged by the renewed commitment from Pakistan to “help Afghanistan and the world in fighting terrorism and drugs.”
“We can only evaluate (Pakistan’s) the commitment in action,” he told the Arab News.
The US-led coalition in a statement said the event offered leaders the chance to promote regional security and stability, as well as securing a lasting peace for Afghanistan.
“Chiefs of defense also reiterated their commitment to fighting terrorism throughout the region, and discussed ways of working together to counter drug trafficking and other cross-border security concerns.”
The coalition said the conference was the first since the US announced its new south Asia strategy, which encouraged a regional and partnered approach to security challenges and gave US forces new authority to fight terror.
The recent bombing of Taliban training camps in Badakhshan was part of this strategy.
“Those training camps supported planning and staging of terrorist activities by the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, a terrorist organization with roots in the ethnic Uighur separatist groups in western China. They pose a threat to China and enjoy support from the Taliban in Badakhshan and throughout the border region.”