sexta-feira, 18 de dezembro de 2015

US defense secretary makes surprise visit to Afghanistan




AIR BASE Bagram, Afghanistan (Reuters) - US Defense Secretary Ash Carter arrived in Afghanistan on Friday, where officials said he planned to meet with US troops, military commanders and Afghan officials.

Carter's visit comes at a time when the government of Afghanistan faces serious setbacks on safety. Last year, the Taliban carried out more attacks and caused more casualties among Afghan forces.

In a report sent to Congress and released this week, the Pentagon presented a grim picture of the situation in Afghanistan, considering that since the beginning of the year until mid-November, there were 27 percent more high-impact attacks in the capital, Kabul compared to the same period last year.

Defense forces and Afghan national security were also 27 percent lower than early 2015 until mid-November compared to the same period last year, according to the Pentagon report found.

The US president, Barack Obama, reversed its policy on Afghanistan in mid-October, saying he would extend military involvement in the country by maintaining a force of 9,800 effective over 2,016.

(Yeganeh Torbati Reporting)

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