Afghanistan not to be abandoned: US

Pajhwok Report

The United States on Monday said the world would not abandon Afghanistan and Pakistan after the drawdown of NATO troops by the end of the current year.

US Ambassador to Pakistan Richard Olson said in an interview: “The United States and the international community have learnt from the period from 1989 to 1992 and are determined not to repeat the mistake.” In an interview with Radio Pakistan, monitored here, the ambassador said the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) had to be concluded to enable the stay of a residual US force in Afghanistan beyond 2014.

About the situation in Afghanistan after the pullout of international soldiers, he said it was hard to predict what the future held in store. But he added Taliban had been weakened and the Afghan National Army was trained to handle any situation. Olson acknowledged Pakistan had rendered great sacrifices in the war against terrorism.“We favour the Pakistan government’s efforts to establish its writ through its territories and in areas where there are non-state actors.”