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AFGHANISTAN: FIGHT AGAINST TALIBAN TO TAKE DECADES-BLAIR November 21, 2006
Zainab Osman
(SomaliNet) In his first visit to the Afghan capital, British Prime Minister Tony Blair warned Monday that the fight against the Taliban and Al Qaeda would be a generation-long one, and he said NATO had to refocus on its commitment in Afghanistan until the job was done.
"Now is the right time, with the Riga summit coming up, for NATO to bring into sharp focus the need for us to stay with the Afghans in their journey of progress, and rediscover within ourselves the belief and the vision that took us here and should keep us here until the job is done," he said, speaking at a news conference with President.
Mr. Blair visited British troops based in Helmand Province, in the south, where they have fought intense battles with resurgent Taliban forces this summer, and then held talks with Mr. Karzai and cabinet officials in Kabul.
"We know we went through a very difficult period two or three months back," he said later in Kabul. But as a result of the work that is being done not just by American and British, but also by Afghan forces, there is a sense of the country moving forward again.
The British prime minister, who visited Pakistan on Sunday, also emphasized that cooperation from Pakistan was vital for regional stability. Mr. Karzai responded to the comment by saying, "Exactly."