US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin telephones COAS Qamar Javed Bajwa

WASHINGTON: United States (US) Secretary Defence Lloyd Austin on Tuesday telephoned Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa to discuss Afghanistan and mutual goals of security and stability in the region, ARY NEWS reported.

According to the details of the conversation shared by the US defence secretary on Twitter, Secretary Austin expressed his interest in continuing to improve the relationship between the US and Pakistan, build upon the multiple shared interests in the region.

Earlier today, I spoke with Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Bajwa. We discussed our mutual interest in regional stability, and I reiterated my desire to continue improving the important U.S. – Pakistan relationship. pic.twitter.com/RzVAM6qqhW

— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) August 9, 2021

Secretary Lloyd Austin and COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa also discussed the ongoing situation in Afghanistan, regional security and stability and the bilateral defense relationship more broadly.

Earlier in the day, the United States said it was up to Afghan security forces to defend the country after Taliban captured a sixth provincial capital on Monday, along with border towns and trade routes.

President Joe Biden has said the US military mission in Afghanistan will end on Aug. 31, arguing that the Afghan people must decide their own future and that he would not consign another generation of Americans to the 20-year war.

US envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad has left for Qatar where he will “press the Taliban to stop their military offensive and to negotiate a political settlement,” the State Department said on Monday.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the US was deeply concerned about the trend but that Afghan security forces had the capability to fight the Taliban.

“These are their military forces, these are their provincial capitals, their people to defend and it’s really going to come down to the leadership that they’re willing to exude here at this particular moment,” Kirby said.

Asked what the US military can do if the Afghan security forces are not putting up a fight, Kirby said: “Not much.”