Afghanistan’s Ghani says ready to hold talks with Pakistan

BAKU: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said on Friday Kabul is ready to hold government-to-government talks with Pakistan, ToloNews reported.

“We remain committed as a partner to counter terrorist threats in the region and are ready to expand our cooperation with all countries,” Ghani said while addressing the seventh Hearth of Asia Conference (HoA) in Azerbaijan.

“We all have shared responsibilities and Afghanistan is ready to cooperate with all stakeholders in this arena,” he added.

Ghani said: “We ask for full regional cooperation to establish mechanisms of verification and coordination for the elimination of this threat [terrorism].”

The war against terrorism is not just an Afghan or regional problem, he said, adding that the fifth wave of political violence and terrorism is a threat to all humanity.

Sharing the achievements of Afghan forces in counter-terrorism operations and its campaign against drugs, he said: “In a series of operations by our special forces and commandos, we have destroyed assets estimated at $50-70 million. These operations will not only continue but will become an integral part of our four-year comprehensive security plan.”

He also claimed that the militant Islamic State (IS) has been defeated in the country.

“Daesh is isolated from external support. They are running out of weapons, supplies, and fighters – what’s left of Daesh is stuck in the mountains to starve and die,” he claimed.

Talking about his future plans for the country, he said the government will increase the number of Afghan Special Forces and the Air Force. “I am doubling the size of my Special Security Forces and tripling the size of the Air Force to defeat the terrorists and further secure the population,” he said.