Pentagon chief in Afghanistan as violence escalates

In this Dec. 11, 2015 file photo, Defense Secretary Ash Carter speaks to reporters at the Pentagon. Ash Carter told his Afghan counterpart Friday in Jalalabad that the United States is “with you,” committed to supporting Afghan security forces and building their capabilities for years to come. Carter made a one-day visit to Afghanistan to assess the fragile security situation, amid reports of increased violence and a growing campaign by ISIS loyalists to gain a foothold in the eastern part of the country. AP Photo

KABUL, Afghanistan—US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter arrived in Afghanistan Friday for meetings with military commanders, as the security situation deteriorates with a surge in Taliban attacks and the creeping emergence of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group.

The unannounced visit comes just days after a Pentagon report presented a grim portrait of the war which has inflicted a growing number of casualties on hard-pressed Afghan forces.

During an event with soldiers at a US base near Jalalabad city in the eastern province of Nangarhar, Secretary Carter warned of the Taliban’s continued threat to security in the country, while lauding the troops for training Afghan forces to battle the insurgents.

“The Afghan security forces are getting there,” said Carter, according to a statement released by the Department of Defense.

“They’re fighting, number one, and number two, they’re fighting more and more effectively as they operate more and more on their own.”

The volatile province of Nangarhar also faces an emerging threat from loyalists of the ISIS group, which is making gradual inroads in Afghanistan, challenging the Taliban on their own turf.

During his speech, Carter vowed to root out ISIS in both the Middle East and elsewhere.

“We’re going to kill it in its home tumor of Iraq and Syria,” said Carter. “But then we have to recognize that there are little nests of it spring up all over—all over the world.”

This month marks a year since the US- and NATO-led mission in Afghanistan transitioned into an Afghan-led operation, with allied nations assisting in training local forces.

President Barack Obama in October announced that thousands of US troops will remain in Afghanistan past 2016, backpedalling on previous plans to shrink the force and acknowledging that Afghan forces are not ready to stand alone.

The Taliban briefly captured the strategic northern city of Kunduz in September in their most spectacular victory in 14 years, dealing a stinging blow to Afghan forces as they battle the insurgents on multiple fronts.

The Taliban have since then threatened several other provincial centres—from Lashkar Gah in the south to Maimana in the northwest—raising concerns that Afghanistan was on the brink of a security collapse.

Power struggle

Fueling those fears is a new Pentagon report released this week detailing a surge in Taliban attacks in the second half of 2015.

Obama has said the United States will maintain its current force of 9,800 in the country through 2016.

After that the United States will leave a force of 5,500 troops in place to train Afghan forces and conduct counter-terrorism missions.

Obama’s decision recognized Afghan forces “will require more time and assistance to develop into a capable, credible and independent force,” the Pentagon report stated.

The Taliban have stepped up attacks on government and foreign targets despite President Ashraf Ghani’s diplomatic outreach to Pakistan aimed at reviving peace talks with the resurgent group.

Pakistan, which wields considerable influence over the Taliban, hosted a milestone first round of peace negotiations in July.

But the talks stalled when the Taliban belatedly confirmed the death of longtime leader Mullah Omar, sparking a power struggle within the movement.

Western officials have also warned that ISIS, attracting disaffected Taliban fighters, is an emerging threat in Afghanistan’s eastern badlands bordering Pakistan.

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