Washington: Coalition partners US and Britain have said their mission in Afghanistan is very much on track and the two countries are committed to build a strong and effective national security force there.
"As the transition to Afghan security control continues, the UK will continue to play an important role in helping field strong and effective Afghan national security forces" US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said in a joint news conference with his British counterpart Philip Hammond.
Besides the current situation in Afghanistan and the post 2014 scenario, the two countries discussed on preparing their alliance for future after more than a decade of war and shared sacrifices, Hagel said.
"We remain determined to see through our vital task of preventing Afghanistan once again from becoming a safe haven for international terrorists," Hammond said in his response.
The events of the last few days have shown that both the militaries continue to take risks as they carry out their dangerous tasks there, he added.
"But the mission remains on track, and the increasingly capable Afghan security forces now lead on providing security for nearly 90 per cent of the Afghan population and lead roughly 80 per cent of all security operations," Hammond said.
"Their capability will continue to grow as ISAF forces draw down towards the conclusion of our combat mission by the end of next year," he said.
PTI
