Britain's foreign secretary says a political solution for Afghanistan includes having senior Taliban commanders in government. David Miliband told NATO's parliamentary assembly Tuesday that most Taliban fighters are not committed to global jihad and could be persuaded to stop fighting. He said the Afghan government would include “high-level commanders that can be persuaded to renounce Al-Qaida and pursue their goals peacefully.” Britain has 9,000 troops in Afghanistan, the largest international contingent after the United States. Miliband said Britain is willing to send more troops as part of a political and military strategy. Prime Minister Gordon Brown has promised 500 more soldiers under certain circumstances. The head of NATO said Tuesday he expected “substantially more forces” for Afghanistan to be pledged soon, but stressed it was part of a wider strategy of handing over security to Afghans. His speech came after British Prime Minister Gordon Brown offered to host an international conference on Afghanistan in London in January, which he said could set a timeframe for such a handover from 2010. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said he expected an increase in international forces to be agreed “in a few weeks” but underlined that the ultimate goal was to move from a combat to a support role, starting next year. US President Barack Obama is expected to announce his Afghan strategy review soon after his return from Asia next week, including whether to reinforce the 68,000 US troops that will be fighting in Afghanistan by the end of the year.
