NATO supports US commander’s message to Taliban to ‘reconcile or die’

By Khaama Press - Tue Dec 05 2017, 3:56 pm

The NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said the alliance supports the recent message of the NATO and US forces commander General John Nicholson to the Taliban to ‘reconcile or die’.

Speaking to reporters in Brussels, Stoltenberg said ” I support the message from United States, from NATO, which we convey together, and that is that we need to strengthen our military presence with more trainers, with more advice, strengthen our trainer system, advice mission in Afghanistan to break the stalemate, to enable the Afghan Forces to regain territory, to send a clear message to the Taliban and to the terrorists that they will not win on the battlefield. So they have to sit down at the negotiating table and find a negotiated solution.”

Speaking to reporters in Pentagon via teleconference from Kabul, Gen. Nicholson said “We’ll have to continue to apply the three types of pressure, engage within the region and leverage all of the instruments available to meet our goals.”

He also added “In the face of this pressure, the Taliban cannot win.  Their choices are to reconcile, live in irrelevance, or die.”

Gen. Nicholson was briefing the reporters regarding the impact of the new US strategy for South Asia.

The US President Donald Trump announced the new US strategy for South Asia and Afghanistan late in August this year as he emphasized on continue US presence to counter terrorism and help support the Afghan security forces.

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