NATO allies commit around $1 billion per year to support Afghan forces

NATO allies stump up around $1 billion a year over the next three years to help fund the Afghan military

WARSAW: NATO allies have promised the United States they will stump up around $1 billion a year over the next three years to help fund the Afghan military, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Saturday.



"We now have in place the $1 billion of non-US commitments," Stoltenberg told a news conference on the second day of a NATO summit. He hinted there were still some pledges to come in, adding, "We are very close (to the target)".



"We are ready to stay ... that's the reason we are ready to stay beyond 2016," Stoltenberg said on NATO's mission to train the Afghan armed forces, which will continue into 2017 with 12,000 NATO and US troops