KABUL: (MEP) Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull arrived in Kabul on Monday where he met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and other senior officials, promised contributing 270 more troops to the NATO mission.
At the meeting the two leaders discussed issues of mutual interests, Australian cooperation with Afghanistan, bilateral ties, war on terrorism, the peace process, human rights and the rights of the women in the country.
Ghani thanked the Australian leader for his country’s cooperation to Afghanistan in various fields and paid homage to 41 Australian soldiers who lost their lives in Afghanistan in their counterinsurgency mission.
The president also called on the Australian leader to provide Afghan air force with technical support so that it can maintain its technical equipment.
The Australian PM directed the commander of Australian forces in Afghanistan to take into consideration the demand of Afghan government in this respect.
Ghani also asked the Australian government to invest in the mining sector in Afghanistan and to provide technical support to Afghanistan in the area of water management.
Referring to the ongoing insurgency in Afghanistan, the Australian leader highlighted that the people of Afghanistan have suffered major tragedies as a result of war and violence imposed on them.
He pledged to increase the number of Australian troops in Afghanistan to 270 to help Afghan police and army forces maintain security in the capital Kabul.
The Australian prime minister also invited Ghani to visit his country, the invitation was swiftly accepted by the Afghan president.
