NATO reaffirms financial support for Afghan forces through 2024

NATO reiterated commitment to providing financial support to the Afghan security forces through 2024.

In a statement released on Monday, NATO said that its allies and partners met at the plenary meeting of the Afghan National Army Trust Fund Board to review the implementation of their financial contributions in support of the Afghan security forces.

According to the statement, the members of the organization discussed their financial contributions to the Afghan forces for 2021 and “reiterated their commitment to providing financial support to the Afghan security forces through 2024.”

“Today’s commitments help underpin the confidence that our financial support to the Afghan security forces will continue to be strong beyond 2020,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stated in the meeting.

“International funding support to the Afghan forces is a key pillar of our commitment to Afghan security. As of 5 October 2020, total cumulative contributions made to the Trust Fund since its establishment amount to over 3,2 billion US dollars,” Stoltenberg pointed out.  

The NATO-run Afghan National Army Trust Fund was created in 2007. It has played a vital role to enhance the effectiveness and sustainment of the Afghan security forces by funding activities ranging from installation of donated equipment to training, literacy courses, professional military education, and capacity building.

The Trust Fund is open for contributions by the broader international community. It is one of three funding streams used by the international community to channel its financial support to Afghanistan’s security forces and institutions.

The other two are the Law and Order Trust Fund for Afghanistan (LOTFA), administered by the United Nations Development Programm, and the United States Afghanistan Security Forces Fund (ASFF).