The NATO’s Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan has said the U.S forces will focus on conducting ‘unilateral operations’ next year in order to defeat al-Qaeda and other insurgent outfits in the country. 

In an interview with an American TV channel, C-SPAN on Thursday, Charles Cleveland, a spokesman for the Resolute Support mission, said the groups are operative in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

“U.S. forces in Afghanistan have two missions – the first mission is a unilateral U.S. counterterrorism mission specifically focused on al-Qaeda and Islamic State [Daesh]… We do have the authority to conduct unilateral operations with defeating al-Qaeda as well as other groups,” the spokesman said. 

He said the reason which they will focus on the mission is to protect their Afghan allies and Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, military commentator Mirza Mohammad Yarmand commented on NATO spokesman’s remarks and said: “To defeat terrorists, Afghanistan needs regional and international cooperation. I don’t think Pakistan will be honest in its commitments towards the anti-terror mission. Pakistan should close the illegal madrassas on its soil, if it actually wants to combat against terrorism.”

According to Afghan security officials, a large number of Afghan and Pakistani Taliban entered Afghanistan – from Pakistan – this year and tried to transfer the Taliban’s main council to Helmand, but they were failed. 

“Taliban has been divided into many factions; therefore, it is a good opportunity for the Afghan government to invite the moderate Taliban groups to the peace table,” university lecturer Qasim Wahidi said. 

NATO has said that the Taliban made lots of efforts this year to take control of central cities of some provinces including Helmand, Kunduz, Uruzgan, Farah and few other provinces; however, the insurgent group failed in this bid.