“We welcome the US announcement of broader involvement in the war on terrorism in Afghanistan,” defence ministry spokesman Daulat Waziri told AFP. Some 9,800 US troops remain in Afghanistan in an advisory capacity, down from a peak of around 100,000 in March 2011. The decision will allow US troops, who have been in a training and advisory role in Afghanistan since the start of 2015, collaborate more closely with local forces in striking the Taliban. “The US presidential election is coming up this year and Obama needs to show that the war in Afghanistan is still important,” Kabul-based military analyst Wahid Taqat told AFP. Afghanistan on Saturday hailed Washington’s decision to expand the US military’s authority to tackle a resurgent Taliban insurgency, saying the support will boost the capacity of struggling local forces.

Source: Hindustan Times June 11, 2016 14:48 UTC