UNIPATH STAFF
As part of U.S. Central Command Commander Gen. Joseph L. Votel’s annual Central and South Asia (CASA) Chiefs of Defense conference, defense chiefs from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asian countries gathered in Kabul in February 2018 to discuss regional security issues and unveil the South Asia strategy.
To showcase the stability of Afghanistan, as well as highlight the progress of Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), CENTCOM held this year’s conference in Afghanistan with Afghan Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mohammad Sharif Yaftali as co-chair of the conference.
Gen. Votel highlighted the South Asia strategy and the need for all of Afghanistan’s neighbors to collaborate to improve security and stability, especially in the areas of border security and countering narcotics flows.
U.S. Gen. John Nicholson, commander of the Resolute Support Mission, and Gen. Yaftali highlighted the gains made by ANDSF over the last year to include the military campaign against violent extremist organizations, especially ISIS-Khorasan.
Army chiefs from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and discussed increasing cooperation among the countries to stop terrorism and drug trafficking.
Pakistan’s involvement in resolving the Afghan conflict is considered vital.
“Pakistan has a chance to be a major force for good,” U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison told journalists in February.
The defense chiefs also used the opportunity to meet with Afghan special forces troops as well as observe the Afghan Special Mission Wing, an elite air unit that supports the Afghan National Army’s Special Operations Command.
Sources: Voice of America, The Associated Press, U.S. Army