Washington: US President Barack Obama on Monday expressed concern over the growing number of deadly attacks on US forces by insiders in Afghan security forces, and said he would soon be talking to his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai in this regard.
"Obviously we`ve been watching with deep concern these so-called green-on-blue attacks, where you have Afghan individuals, some of whom are actually enrolled in the Afghan military, in some cases dressing up as Afghan military or police, attacking coalition forces, including our own troops," Obama told reporters.
Obama said he spoke with General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who is currently travelling to Afghanistan.
"I`ll be reaching out to President Karzai as well because we`ve got to make sure that we`re on top of this," he said responding to questions on sudden rise in attack on US troops inside Afghanistan.
"We are already doing a range of things, and we`re seeing some success when it comes to better counterintelligence, making sure that the vetting process for Afghan troops is stronger," he said.
Obama, however, said that the security transition is on track in Afghanistan.
"We are transitioning to Afghan security. And for us to train them effectively, our troops are in much closer contact with Afghan troops on an ongoing basis. And you know, part of what we`ve got to do is to make sure that this model works but it doesn`t make our guys more vulnerable," he said.
"In the long term, we will see fewer US casualties and coalition casualties by sticking to our transition plan and making sure that we`ve got the most effective Afghan security force possible. We have got to do it in a way that doesn`t leave our guys vulnerable," he added.
"So we are deeply concerned about this from top to bottom. And hopefully over the next several weeks we`ll start seeing better progress on this front," Obama said.
Earlier the White House Press Secretary, Jay Carney, said the Obama Administration is committed to withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.
PTI
