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KABUL, Afghanistan – Despite public skepticism in light of the insurgent attack on the Afghan Ministry of Defense on Monday, MoD and International Security Assistance Force spokesmen say everything is on track for transition to begin.
Maj. Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi, MoD spokesman, and German Army Brig. Gen. Josef Blotz, ISAF spokesman, made the statement during a press conference at the Government Media Information Center in Kabul today.
The MoD is very concerned about the incident and is investigating it, but it is not a sign that Afghanistan is not capable of defending itself and beginning transition, said Azimi.
“We are at war,” said Blotz. “We have seen this incident, and we will see more. The right reaction is not to give in to them.”
The Afghan National Army’s quick response to the incident on Monday was viewed as sign of strength to the MoD.
The incident at the Defense Ministry lasted less than 2 minutes, and the assailant was killed before he could self-detonate. This is a testament to the professionalism of the ANA that they were able to control the situation, said Azimi.
ISAF echoed their belief in the ANA as well as all Afghan National Security Forces.
“We believe that Afghan Security Forces will be able to take over security missions in Afghanistan before the end of 2014,” said Blotz.
The ISAF spokesman reiterated that partnering will remain a key element in the transition, which will be Afghan led.
“All of our combined efforts are designed to continue on the path together toward a self-sufficient Afghanistan,” said Blotz.
In addition to partnering, ISAF will focus on training and equipping the ANSF.
Blotz stated that $10.4 billion has been committed to providing equipment to include vehicles, aircraft, weapons and counter-IED equipment.
| Date Taken: | 04.20.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 04.20.2011 23:58 |
| Story ID: | 69066 |
| Location: | KABUL, AF |
| Web Views: | 92 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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