KABUL - US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton said Monday that her country will stand by Afghanistan as long as Afghans need assistance.
Speaking at a 'Women in Public Service Institute' inaugural ceremony she emphasized that US would help Afghanistan not only in security sector but also in development sector.
"We are prepared -- so long as the government and the people of Afghanistan wish to have our help -- not only to help on security, but also to continue to help on development," Clinton said at Wellesley College in Massachusetts.

She also said that, she will travel to Japan to attend the upcoming Tokyo conference which is going to be held on July 8 this year to discuss ways to improve governance, economic prospects, health and education in Afghanistan.

About women improvements in the past decade, Mrs Clinton said that Afghan women had made demonstrable gains since the established of new government.

"When people say, 'Well, what have we gotten done in Afghanistan over the last 10 years?', I think it's only fair to look at the changes that have happened in terms of the millions of children -- at least 40 percent of whom are now girls in school," she said.

"Much to everyone's amazement, a country that had the worst rate of maternal mortality associated with childbirth -- pregnancy, labor, childbirth -- has made great improvements that have been applauded by the international public health community," Clinton said.

Meanwhile, head of the Cultural Department of Civil Society, Mir Ahmad Joyenda welcomed the statements made by Secretary Clinton and said that the Tokyo conference could bring transparency and control over expenditure of international aides.

"Considering the moral of the conference, her statements are very good, but there should be transparency and control over expenses of international aides." He added.

Afghan government received massive amount of financial help, but escalating corruption within the government has raised concerns and fears of misuse of the funds. (Tolo News)