SACEUR visits Afghanistan with Secretary General and Chairman of the Military Committee

From left to right.  Chairman of the Military Committee,  Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach,  Resolute Support Commander,  General Austin Scott Miller,  NATO Secretary General,  Jens Stoltenberg and Supreme Allied Commander Europe,  General Curtis M. Scaparrotti,  during a visit to Afghanistan to meet with Afghan and Resolute Support leadership - NATO photo by International Military Staff

MONS, Belgium – General Curtis M. Scaparrotti, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, travelled to Afghanistan alongside Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach to meet with the Afghan and Resolute Support Mission leadership Nov. 5 to 7, 2018.

Upon arrival, the delegation met with General Austin Scott Miller, the Resolute Support commander, Ambassador Cornelius Zimmerman, NATO's Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan and their staff for an operational overview of the Resolute Support Mission.

The delegation then travelled to the Presidential Palace to meet with President Ashraf Ghani; Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, and other Afghan ministers and senior officials, as well as with representatives of Afghan civil society to discuss the security situation, the peace process, elections and more.

In a joint press conference with President Ghani, Mr. Stoltenberg underlined that NATO's support for Afghanistan will continue, saying: "NATO is determined to see Afghanistan succeed. That's why around 16,000 troops from 39 countries serve in our Resolute Support Mission."

The delegation concluded its trip with a troop visit to the Train, Advise and Assist Command – West, headquartered in Herat, Afghanistan.

Following Mr. Stoltenberg's remarks to the troop, General Scaparrotti walked through the troop formation thanking the troops for their service and dedication to the mission.

"I leave here with confidence that the Afghan Security Forces and NATO's Train, Advise and Assist mission can move forward and provide security for the people of Afghanistan. Yes, it's challenging and it's going to be tough. But, I'm confident that it can be done – recent events during the elections attest to this fact," said General Scaparrotti.

Story by SHAPE Public Affairs Office