Minister says Afghan forces can hold their own

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KABUL, 15 March, 2021, (TON): Afghanistan's interior minister said on Saturday that Afghan security forces can hold their ground regardless of whether US troops pull out, testing a notice from the United States foreseeing a withdrawal would yield fast regional additions to the Taliban.

Masoud Andarabi's remarks in a meeting on Saturday were the primary government response to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's admonition gave in a forcefully phrased letter to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani a weekend ago.

In the letter pressing Ghani to step up efforts to make peace with the Taliban, Blinken said, "I am concerned the security situation will worsen and that the Taliban could make rapid territorial gains" after the American military pulls out. Andarabi said Afghanistan's National Security Forces could hold an area, yet would probably bear weighty misfortunes attempting to hold distant designated spots without US air uphold.

 

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