Kabul, March 16: US President Barack Obama held a video call with Afghan head of state Hamid Karzai to discuss the war on the Taliban and progress in eradicating corruption, the Kabul government said today.
In yesterday’s “teleconference” which lasted more than an hour, Obama reaffirmed “US long-term commitment for a prosperous and stable Afghanistan,” Karzai’s office said in a statement.
Karzai’s government depends on the support of Washington and other Western allies in the battle against insurgents destabilising much of the country through shadow administrations and connections with drug traffickers.
The United States and NATO have more than 121,000 troops in Afghanistan, set to rise to 150,000 by August as part of a revamped strategy to reverse the Taliban momentum, particularly in the south, and hasten an end to the war.
–Agencies