Gen. Martin Dempsey visits AfghanistanGen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is due to visit Afghanistan in the near future to meet with Afghan, NATO and US officials in the country.

United States Department of Defense following a statement confirmed the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff makes frequent trips to the combat zone to see conditions firsthand and to speak with the men and women shouldering the burden.

The statement did not disclose further information regarding the exact date of Gen. Martin Dempsey’s visit to Afghanistan saying, “These visits are well-planned, but unannounced.”

Dempsey will meet with NATO’s International Security Assistance Force Commander Marine Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. The chairman and the NATO chief will discuss the campaign plan, the current fighting season, the April 2014 Afghan elections and plans for the post-2014 U.S. presence in Afghanistan, officials quoted in the statement said.

It also added that U.S. and Afghan negotiators are working on a bilateral security agreement, and Dempsey will get a briefing on that.

The general said yesterday during his reconfirmation hearing before the Senate that legal protections for American service members based in Afghanistan after the NATO mandate ends on Dec. 31, 2014, will be of paramount importance.

Having American troops in Afghanistan post-2014 to train and advise the Afghan national security forces will be crucial to success in the country, Dempsey said yesterday.

Dempsey and Dunford will also discuss the retrograde movement of American equipment from Afghanistan, US defense officials said.

Author


  • Ahmad Shah Ghani Zada is the former Senior Editor of Khaama Press Agency who managed and overlooked the English edition. He is occasionally contributing stories to the agency.