Thanking the U.S. for its financial help and for the personal sacrifices of thousands of service men and women over the past 13 years, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said Tuesday that he will not allow his country to again become a breeding ground for terrorism.
At a White House press conference alongside President Obama, Mr. Ghani welcomed a close, warm relationship with the U.S. moving forward and said both nations share the same goals of ridding the world of terrorist organizations.
He also said Afghanistan will not make peace with any factions who embrace violence.
“We have the capacity to speak truth to terror. They do not speak for Islam. We do,” Mr. Ghani said. “We will not have peace with those who use our territory as a proxy for other purposes, as a battleground for alien forces or as a launching pad for global terrorism.”
The Afghan president also said he views his country’s relationship with the U.S. as “foundational” for years to come, even now that the American combat role in Afghanistan has ended.
Mr. Ghani also directly thanked the U.S. military and American taxpayers.
“You stood shoulder to shoulder with us and I’d like to say ’thank you,’” he said.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.