WASHINGTON (Pajhwok): US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis praised on Monday the resilience shown by Afghan security forces in the face of increasingly deadly insurgent attacks.
“So far, they have taken hard casualties over the last year. But they have continued to fight, and we are adjusting tactics. We're bringing more support in certain areas,” he said.
At a Pentagon news briefing, Mattis said the Afghan forces were exhibiting their resilience. “When people say something is unsustainable, it is better to look at what they have actually sustained and it appears they’ve sustained it somehow.”
US media outlets quoted him as saying coalition troops continued to train, advise and assist their Afghan partners. The NATO-led forces were adjusting tactics and bringing more support to certain areas, he added.
American and coalition officials constantly review operations in Afghanistan, Mattis said. The reviews look at casualties, numbers of Afghan troops trained, numbers employed and more.
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