Taliban can't win militarily: U.S. commander in Afghanistan
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E-mail Xinhua, August 22, 2017
KABUL, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Gen. John Nicholson, top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, on Tuesday said that the Taliban cannot win the war in Afghanistan by military means.
He made the comments in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement of a new approach to Afghanistan and the South Asia.
"This new strategy means the Taliban cannot win militarily. Now is the time to renounce violence and reconcile," Nicholson was quoted in a statement released by NATO-led Resolute Support as saying.
"Our Afghan partners know that our commitment is strong and enduring. Our future presence will be based on conditions and not arbitrary timelines," he said.
On Monday night, revealing his new Afghan strategy, Trump noted that a rapid exit of the U.S. troops from Afghanistan was "unacceptable" and his new Afghanistan strategy will shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions on the ground.
"A peaceful, stable Afghanistan is victory for the Afghan people and the goal of the Coalition." Nicholson noted.
The announcement of new Afghan plan came as the fighting has escalated and Taliban insurgents and Islamic State (IS) militants have intensified their activities by launching attacks across the war-hit country.
But Trump did not detail whether to send more U.S. troops to Afghanistan.
The NATO and U.S. forces completed their combat mission in Afghanistan by the end of 2014, after 13 years of military presence.
But some 13,000 foreign forces are currently stationed in Afghanistan for the NATO-led Resolute Support to help Afghan forces in the fields of training, advising and backing them in the war on insurgents. Enditem
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