U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Friday at a NATO meeting in Brussels that NATO’s work in Afghanistan remains critical and that his country is committed to supporting the Afghan forces.

In what is seen as the first sign of support by U.S President Donald Trump’s administration in fighting terrorism in Afghanistan, Tillerson said: “The United States is committed to the Resolute Support Mission and to our support for Afghan forces. 

“NATO’s Train, Advise, And Assist mission is essential to our shared goal of ensuring that Afghanistan develops the capability to contribute to regional stability and prevail over terrorist threats, including al-Qaeda and ISIS (Daesh),” he said.

He said the ongoing commitment of NATO Allies and partners to peace in Afghanistan, including to an eventual settlement between the Afghan government and the Taliban, protects the Alliance’s interests, and, when successful, ensures that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for terrorists.

In response to this, Ministry of Defense spokesman Dawlat Waziri told TOLOnews that the war in Afghanistan was not a civil war, but a war against terrorism. 

“In this war the U.S and its allies are vulnerable. If they don’t help the Afghan army fight terrorism, they will be affected – the war will reach their own countries.”

He said: “It is good that they help Afghanistan fight this war,” adding that “this is the first sign of Donald Trump’s administration supporting the war in Afghanistan.”

Tillerson told NATO allies that the U.S commitment to NATO is strong and that the Alliance remains the bedrock for transatlantic security.

“Our bond remains essential for facing national and international security challenges in an increasingly unstable world. 

“At the top of this list is defeating ISIS (Daesh), which is a threat to all member countries and partners,” he said.

Tillerson went on to say the NATO alliance is also fundamental to countering both non-violent, but at times violent, Russian agitation and Russian aggression.

He said the U.S is committed to ensuring NATO has the capabilities to support collective defense. 

“We understand that a threat against one of us is a threat against all of us, and we will respond accordingly. We will uphold the agreements we have made to defend our allies,” he said.

But he pointed out that as previously stated by U.S President Donald Trump, it was no longer sustainable for the U.S to maintain a disproportionate share of NATO’s defense expenditures. 

“Allies must increase defense spending to meet their commitments in accordance with the Wales Pledge on Defense Investment,” he said. 

“The President supports NATO. The U.S Congress supports NATO,” he said. 

However, he called on allies demonstrate by their actions that they share the U.S government’s commitment and that they need to spend to two percent of their GDP on defense. 

“On fighting terrorism, NATO can and should do more. Fighting terrorism is the top national security priority for the United States, as it should be for all of us,” he said.

In conclusion he said the U.S would abandon its allies but that “we (the U.S) cannot keep protecting them without meeting our shared responsibility of financial and other resources.”