General Joseph Dunford, who controls the international force in Afghanistan, has said that he expects Kabul’s insurgency to continue beyond the US withdrawal in 2014, but is also hopeful about the direction of the country.
Dunford said that he was clear that his forces were “here to win” and added that they have got a complete “security and political transition”.
The general said attacks on the force by Afghan colleagues, like the stabbing of 26-year-old Sgt Michael C Cable by a 10-year-old Afghan boy with whom he was working earlier this week, have ‘absolutely’ had an impact on the force.
Dunford called such ‘blue-on-green incidents’ a significant threat, ABC News reports.
According to the report, like his predecessor, Gen John Allen, Dunford expressed cautious optimism about the future of Afghanistan after the withdrawal of US combat troops next year.
He said that the Afghan security forces have really taken the lead in protecting their country and were meeting all the benchmarks the Obama administration has set.
Dunford maintained the biggest requirement for the Afghans’ success would be a commitment by the US and the international community to continue to support the country and its security forces, the report added.
