Afghanistan not a 'war without end'

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

The Foreign Secretary has set out Britain's policy on Afghanistan by stating that a premature withdrawal could lead to a political vacuum that the Taliban and al-Qaeda could fill.

David Miliband made his comments in a speech to Nato, at a time when the increasing death toll of British soldiers fighting in the southern Helmand province of Afghanistan is causing concern in the UK.

Miliband stated: "I, as much as anyone else, want to bring our troops back home to safety. But we cannot leave a vacuum that the Taliban will quickly fill and, under their umbrella, al-Qaeda follow.

"Counter terrorism may deal with symptoms; it brings short term success, but only a comprehensive strategy can deal with the causes and ensure that when we leave we do so knowing that we will not have to return."

And he insisted: "This is not a war without end…but success must be based on aligning our military and civilian resources behind a clear political strategy, a strategy that reassures and mobilises ordinary Afghans to resist the Taliban, and divides the insurgency by reintegrating and reconciling those in search of money, status or power, not ideology, and that builds a new relationship between Afghanistan and its neighbours.

"That is what the British government is determined to promote."

The number of British service personnel killed in Afghanistan since 2001 stands at 234.