United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon made a surprise visit to Afghanistan on Wednesday where he met with President Hamad Karzai and offered continued support from the world body to the strife-torn country. Ban said he wanted to “see Afghanistan enjoy full democracy, full security and full development,” adding that “it is clear that Afghanistan will continue to face many challenges in 2009, but I think we can confront them.” The security situation in Afghanistan has steadily deteriorated over the past year. More than 2,100 civilians were killed in 2008, a 40 percent increase from the previous year. By the end of October 2008, 36 aid workers had been killed and a further 92 abducted, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. “This year is going to be a very important and a crucial year for the Afghanistan people and government in many aspects, in addressing security challenges and also establishing fuller democracy and development and prosperity with the Afghanistan people,” Ban said, according to a transcript from his spokesperson's office in New York. “We also need to balance political and military means to stability in Afghanistan, including through an Afghan-led political solution based on the constitution,” he said. “Regional cooperation is so crucial to Afghanistan but also for its neighbors and it has a lot of potential.” “I fully share the concerns and frustrations that President Karzai has endured because of many tragic incidents where civilian people have been killed in the course of military operations in fighting against terrorism,” he said in response to a question on civilian casualties.
