28-03-2024 05:37 PM Jerusalem Timing

Afghan President Stresses ’Common Interests’ with US

Afghan President Stresses ’Common Interests’ with US

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said his country and Washington have common interests at stake in the fight against extremism, describing how Afghans see the United States as "critical" to the country’s future.

Afghanistan President Ashraf GhaniAfghan President Ashraf Ghani said his country and Washington have common interests at stake in the fight against extremism, describing how Afghans see the United States as "critical" to the country's future.

"While tragedy brought us together, there are common interests that now can be articulated very clearly," Ghani said in comments broadcast Sunday on CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS."

"The threats that we are facing on a daily basis, were they, God forbid, to overwhelm us, will threaten the world at large."

Ghani is due to meet US Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Ashton Carter at Camp David outside Washington on Monday.

Moreover, in a separate interview with NPR to be broadcast Monday, the Afghan President said that the majority of Afghans want the US military presence to continue.

"They see the United States as critical to their future," he said.

The United States is scrapping a plan to reduce the US force in Afghanistan to 5,500 by December, after American commanders appealed to keep more troops on the ground.

Asked about the so-called 'Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant' (ISIL) takfiri group, Ghani told NPR: "Terrorism is morphing into a system. It's becoming sophisticated. And more than anything else, it's controlling immense resources.

"So they are posing a threat, but we are determined to make sure that they do not do the kind of atrocities that they've managed so well in Syria, Iraq, Libya, or Yemen."

ISIL declared Caliphate in September after occupying swathes of eastern and northern Iraq. Its takfiri operatives are carrying out terrorist attacks and military campaigns against people and armies of both states.