*KABUL*: Alice Wells, the US’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary forSouth and Central Asian Affairs, said this week that in order to ensuresecurity in Afghanistan a negotiated political solution that includesPakistan needs to be found.
In an interview with *TOLOnews*, Wells said continued pressure on theTaliban and Pakistan was needed.
“Ultimately the solution to Afghanistan’s security and stability will liein a political resolution not only on the military battlefield.
“But until then we are going to pressure the Taliban and we are going tosupport the really courageous and brave Afghan National Security Forces,”Wells said.
According to her, US President Donald Trump was clear on Pakistan when herevealed his strategy on Afghanistan and South Asia last year.
“We see an opportunity for Pakistan to secure its legitimate intereststhrough support for a negotiated settlement. We see the South Asia strategyas an opportunity for Pakistan.
“The fact that the president made the decision to suspend militaryassistance to Pakistan reflects a level of disappointment that we haven’tseen more aggressive efforts by Pakistan to disrupt the ability of theTaliban to operate, particularly across the border.”
Wells stated Pakistan needs to be part of a wider solution for Afghanistanand that as dialogue with Pakistan continues on the US’s part, it isimportant to achieve results around peace that are mutually beneficial forboth Pakistan and Afghanistan.
On the recent spate of attacks in Kabul – specifically the deadly bombinglate January which killed over 100 people – Wells said this was testimonyto some elements within the Taliban who are not prepared to work for peace.
Wells said this vision for peace had the support of the internationalcommunity, which is scheduled to meet later this month for the KabulProcess. She also said the US understands the courage it takes to continueto stand for peace.
“We need to keep the pressure on the Taliban and recognise that it is theTaliban that has prevented your country, your society from moving forward,”Wells said.
Asked about contradicting reports around Daesh in the country – with somesectors stating the group is not a serious threat, while others have raisedconcern about increasing numbers – Wells said the US was concerned “aboutsome countries efforts to justify their relationship with the Taliban inorder to fight against ISIS (Daesh)”.
She said, however, that it was the Taliban that had allowed this“ecosystem” to develop where “terrorist groups like ISIS-Khorasan (Daesh)could take root”.
Wells said the only way to defeat Daesh in Afghanistan was by defeating theTaliban and ensuring the Afghan security forces have the capacity andstrength to sustain this battle.
On other issues relating to the National Unity Government, its stability,elections and the matter of President Ashraf Ghani having ousted Balkhprovincial governor Atta Mohammad Noor, Wells said that the US supportedgovernment in all its challenges and that it was standing by the IEC inorder to ensure transparent elections but that some issues were internalmatters that needed to be resolved by the NUG.
This was specifically related to the Noor issue.
According to the US embassy in Kabul, Wells, who was on a three-day visitto Kabul this week, met with Afghan officials including Ghani and ChiefExecutive Abdullah Abdullah.