NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg meets Afghan President Ashraf Ghani during a visit to Afghanistan on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014.

Stars and Stripes

Published: November 6, 2014

KABUL, Afghanistan NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, during an unannounced visit to Afghanistan Thursday, promised continued alliance support after foreign combat troops leave the country by years end.

NATO and our partners have stood with Afghanistan for more than a decade, Stoltenberg said during a joint news conference with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Next year, we will open a new chapter. The future of Afghanistan will be in Afghan hands. But our support will continue.

After the NATO-led combat mission ends this year, about 12,000 foreign troops 9,800 of them American will remain primarily to advise and assist Afghan security forces.

Ghani praised the alliances efforts, noting NATO troops have stood shoulder to shoulder with Afghan National Security Forces during the bloodiest days of the 13-year war. While he said he was confident Afghan forces will be able to secure the country after 2014, Ghani noted that effort would depend on continued financial backing from Washington and NATO.

NATO has committed to fund Afghanistans 350,000 security forces at $4.1 billion annually. At a NATO summit in Wales in September, alliance leaders committed to continue funding through 2017.

Afghanistans new president was supposed to attend that summit, but because election results were still in dispute, the country was represented by the defense minister. Stoltenberg invited Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah chief executive in the new unity government and Ghanis rival in the protracted election to attend a NATO ministerial meeting on Dec. 2.

Stoltenberg said NATO wanted to develop its long-term partnership with Afghanistan.

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NATO chief hails new chapter in Afghanistan