Peace in Afghanistan once Taliban sees no chance of winning: Dunford

Kabul, July 18 (ANI): United States Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Corps General Joe Dunford, has said that peace prospects in Afghanistan will increase when the Taliban realizes they have no chance of winning on the battlefield. Concluding a three day visit to Afghanistan, General Dunford said the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) have significantly increased their capabilities and made important gains by going on the offensive. He added the Afghan forces went to the enemy first rather than waiting for this year's fighting season. "I think there's a degree of optimism that the Afghan forces have the momentum this summer.. But I think the Taliban have proven to be resilient in the past, and I think there's still a fair amount of fighting ahead," Khaama Press quoted him, as saying. He met with the senior U.S. and Afghan leaders to assess progress in NATO's Resolute Support mission and held talks with with President Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, Defense Minister Abdullah Khan Habibi among others. He described the meetings as "very positive," with a focus on reforms of the Afghan security forces and continued support for the Afghan security forces to 2020 and beyond. Noting the Afghans have a "very good" plan this year, he said, "We've seen peaks and valleys in the Taliban before, but certainly on the ground right now, the Afghan forces have the momentum." He said that Washington will keep supporting the Afghan forces and making sure that the governance continues to mature.(ANI)