US Defense Secretary: US Forces Will Target Terrorists Before They Attack People

MEP: US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter while leaving further combat authority to the commander of foreign forces in Afghanistan, said the US troops can target the terrorists before they plan to attack people, soldiers and civilians.

Carter made the remark in a press conference with Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, President of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan on Tuesday where they two also presented information on the competence of US troops in the country.

Carter, on an unannounced visit to Afghanistan, said the powers granted to General John Nicholson would allow “much more efficient use and effective use of the forces we have here as well as the Afghan forces.”

Under the authorities previously granted to Nicholson, who commands both the NATO-led Resolute Support mission and a separate U.S. counterterrorism mission, his forces could generally only intervene against the Taliban when Afghan government troops requested emergency assistance.

Meanwhile, He thanked President Ghani for welcoming US service members to Afghanistan and for visiting Arlington Cemetery during his recent visit to U.S.

“We will continue to work hard together to finish the mission we started. I thank all of the American, NATO and Afghan troops who have served and sacrificed together,” Carter said.

U.S. forces have already used the broader authority granted to their commanders to conduct air strikes against Taliban targets in southern Afghanistan.

President Ghani on his part, thanked the U.S. government and the people for their support to Afghanistan as well as hailing Gen. Nicholson, for his resolute cooperation with the Afghan government and the Afghan security forces.

“NATO’s decision in Warsaw Summit was very important. We thank Afghan security forces for their efforts to ensure the safety of Afghans,” he said.

Ghani said that an environment of trust had been created between Kabul and Washington and that they are “on the same page” in the fight against terrorism.

Carter’s visit comes days after Obama shelved plans to cut the U.S. force in Afghanistan nearly in half by year’s end, opting instead to keep 8,400 troops there through to the end of his presidency in January.