UN team in Kabul to show support for war-weary Afghanistan

A top level UN Security Council delegation that included US Ambassador Nikki Haley visited Kabul and met with the Afghan authorities, the government and the United Nations said today.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's office said he met with the UN team yesterday and discussed Afghanistan's security situation and how to move the country forward.
The statement says Ghani also requested continued UN pressure on neighbouring Pakistan, which Kabul accuses of harbouring Taliban insurgents.
Islamabad denies the allegations.
According to the statement, along with Haley, representatives of China, Russia and Britain also took part in the meeting, which was not previously announced for security reasons.

President Donald Trump has taken a tough stand on Pakistan, which in turn has accused the United States of scapegoating Islamabad for its own failure to bring peace to Afghanistan where the war is now entering its 17th year.

The UN mission in Afghanistan -- known as the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan or UNAMA -- said "the visit was an opportunity to reiterate the Security Council's support" for the efforts by the Afghan government and the people "to restore peace, stability and progress to the country" and to get a first-hand account of that process.
Ghani's statement said they also discussed "reconciliation, regional cooperation on the fight against terrorism, counter narcotics" and preparations for the upcoming parliamentary presidential elections in the country.

The meeting "stressed the need to view Afghanistan not as a threat to security in the region but as an important partner," the statement added.
"Council members reiterated their support for the government's reform initiatives, in particular to counter corruption and accelerate regional cooperation," the UN said.