In a meeting with Afghanistan's leader, U.S. President Donald Trump has praised the combat efforts to drive the Taliban and terror groups out of Afghanistan.
Trump met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on September 21 on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
He said that joint Afghan-U.S. forces were making headway against their opposition, "hitting them hard and hitting them effectively."
Ghani saluted Trump's recent decision to bolster the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan by sending up to 3,900 more troops on top of the 8,400-strong force currently there.
He also said that Afghan forces were leading the fight and said he did not want "a blank check" offering unlimited American help.
Ghani said earlier in the week that the Trump administration has a four-year objective to bring 80 percent of the country back under the government's control.
On September 20, Ghani said the new U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, by working more closely with Kabul and taking a harder line toward Pakistan, stands a better chance of working than previous plans.
Part of Trump's announced strategy is to take a tougher line toward Pakistan for allegedly providing refuge to the Afghan Taliban and other extremist groups.
Pakistan denies the accusations.
Based on reporting by Reuters and AP
