Meeting Afghan Leaders, Donors Pledge Support

LONDON — The United States and allied nations promised on Thursday to support Afghanistan even as they planned to withdraw troops from the country.

The pledges came during an international conference here at which Secretary of State John Kerry and Britain’s prime minister, David Cameron, were effusive in their praise of the new unity government of Afghanistan’s president, Ashraf Ghani.

“We will be with you every step of the way,” Mr. Cameron said with Mr. Ghani at his side.

More than 60 delegations, including one led by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan, which has often had difficult relations with Kabul, attended the session.

The conference was not designed to elicit additional promises of assistance. Rather, the goal was to encourage Afghanistan’s partners to follow through with the aid they had already promised.

Even so, Western officials did not say how much of the $16 billion in aid that the international community had pledged at a donor conference in Tokyo two years ago remained to be delivered.

About half of the $16 billion, which is to be delivered through 2015, is to be provided by the United States, and Mr. Kerry said that Washington would hold up its end.

In his meetings here, Mr. Ghani outlined plans to fight corruption, vowed to install a competent cabinet within four weeks and said that he wanted to build an Afghanistan that would be worthy of the casualties that the United States and other nations had endured during the 13-year war there.

Mr. Ghani underscored the point that Afghan forces had assumed the main combat role. “We hope that we will never need direct combat support because the last thing we want is more war,” he said.

Yet neither Mr. Ghani nor American officials noted that President Obama had recently authorized the use of American warplanes and drones to support Afghan troops on combat missions. Mr. Kerry endorsed the new Kabul government’s policies and said he was confident that they would result in a “more stable and prosperous Afghanistan.”

In another gesture of support, Mr. Kerry said that the United States would facilitate longer-term, multiple-entry visas for Afghan businesspeople and students.

But the goal of weaning Afghanistan off the billions in international aid it receives remains daunting. “Participants recognized that, despite achievements, Afghanistan faces formidable challenges,” the conference attendees said in a communiqué.   More at NYTimes