Readout of Deputy Secretary of Defense Carter’s Travel to Afghanistan
September 16, 2013

Pentagon Press Secretary George Little provided the following readout of Deputy Secretary of Defense Carter’s meetings with senior ISAF, Coalition and Afghan officials Sept. 13- 16:

While in Afghanistan, Deputy Secretary Carter met with Minister of Defense Bismillah Khan Mohammadi, Minister of Interior Umar Daudzai, and members of the Afghan Parliament in Kabul to stress the importance of a timely conclusion to the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) and timely, free, and fair 2014 Afghan elections. He also noted the tremendous progress made by the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) this fighting season, the first in which they’ve assumed full lead.

Deputy Secretary Carter also met with U.S. Ambassador James Cunningham and General Joseph Dunford to discuss progress made on concluding the BSA, supporting the ANSF, and setting conditions for a stable and secure Afghanistan in 2015 and beyond.

In addition to the series of high level meetings, Deputy Secretary Carter visited International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Afghan forces in Bastion, Shindand, Gardez and Ghazni to commend them on their ongoing efforts and successes. He thanked Polish forces at Ghazni and the 203rd Afghan National Army Corps at Gardez.

He also visited Herat to pay tribute to the men and women impacted by the recent attack on the U.S. Consulate, and to praise Afghan and ISAF forces for their quick and decisive action.