Ending the war in Afghanistan will include senior Taliban commanders sitting in government in Kabul, Britain's foreign secretary said Tuesday. David Miliband also told a meeting of Nato's parliamentary assembly that military action must be accompanied by a political surge to restore Afghans' faith in their corruption-scarred government.
Miliband's speech came as Nato leaders wait for President Barack Obama to announce whether he will send thousands more troops to Afghanistan, as sought by top generals _ and amid increasing pressure for a way out of the conflict. Miliband said Afghanistan was not ``a war without end,'' and that success depended on political as well as military strategy.
He said the vast majority of Taliban fighters are not committed to a global jihad, or holy war, and can be persuaded to stop fighting. He said a settlement also must include those top Taliban commanders prepared to renounce violence.
"Once reintegration gains momentum, and the insurgency is starting to fray or crumble, we will need to support President (Hamid) Karzai in reaching out to those high-level commanders that can be persuaded to renounce al Qaida and pursue their goals peacefully within the constitutional framework,'' Miliband said.
``This will be far from straightforward. But the historical lessons are clear. Blood enemies from the Soviet period and the civil war now work together in government. Former Talibs already sit in the parliament. It is essential that, when the time is right, members of the current insurgency are encouraged to follow suit.''
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