ISLAMABAD- Gen. Scott Miller, the US and NATO forces commander inAfghanistan, has said that the Taliban are using violence as a leverage andthat they must reduce the violence because they’re the “instigators” of it.
“Clearly, the Taliban use violence as leverage. It’s a tool they’ve usedfor a long time and it’s one they’re loathe to abandon. We press thempretty hard on violence. You know, we have been pressing them since 1 March2020,” Miller told reporters on Wednesday.
“I’ve been very consistent that the Taliban must reduce the violence.That’s one because they’re the instigators of it, and that’ll bring theviolence down all around. But if we don’t, my assessment is that it putsthe peace process at risk and the higher the violence, the higher the risk.And I also believe that this opportunity for peace should not besquandered,” Miller said.
Miller said the Afghan security forces are absolutely essential to thepeace process and that “they have to hold terrain and they have to protectthe people.”
“They (Afghan forces) certainly have our support to build sustainablesecurity institutions. But they have to hold. We are making sure they knowwe’re still there from an air support standpoint and able to help andprotect them during combat operations,” Miller said.
Meanwhile, US Chargé d’Affaires Ross Wilson said that violence is “anunbearable burden on the Afghan armed forces, and it’s an unbearable burdenfor Afghan society, including the raging attacks in urban areas,assassinations, kidnappings market bombings and other activities like that,not all of which may be Taliban carried out, but the cumulative effect ofthat high level of losses is unraveling the situation.”
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This comes as Miller on Sunday, Dec. 13, said he “has orders to reduce theUS military presence to 2,500” and that “part of this is in line withUS-Taliban agreement.”
He said that the troop reduction will be done “in accordance withconditions.”
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