While in Astana U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs discussed NATO troops in Afghanistan

U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman has discussed NATO troops in Afghanistan during her visit to Astana, Tengrinews.kz reports. At the meeting with Kazakhstan Foreign Minister Wendy Sherman reminded of withdrawal of peacekeeping forces from Afghanistan after 2014. “During the meeting we exchanged our opinions on regional security and stabilization of the situation in Afghanistan, in particular. I came back from a two-day visit to Afghanistan. I was in Kabul and Herat. I can repeat what I’ve said back there. Both the Unites States and the European community retain their stable commitment that the peacekeeping forces will remain in Afghanistan after 2014. Speaking about withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, we mean withdrawal of battle forces, but the presence will remain, including that of military troops,” Wendy Sherman said. According to her, the remaining troops will train Afghan military that have already achieved a good progress. “This is done to help them protect their country better. In essence this is what they are doing already. They have made huge progress in achieving this goal as a major part of the country is already controlled by Afghan forces. They (the troops) will continue operating in the next 25 months,” Wendy Sherman said. U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman said that she had already visited Afghanistan, India and Kyrgyzstan, along with Kazakhstan as part of her regional tour. She also said that Central Asian countries and Afghanistan have “bright and strong future and Kazakhstan plays a leading role in many processes that are happening in this region”.