Enough fighting in Afghanistan

Ahead of a London conference on Afghanistan which will discuss a US-proposed military surge, US and NATO’s top military commander in Afghanistan calls for an end to combat.

In an interview with The Financial Times published on Monday, US General Stanley McChrystal said that he hoped an increase in the international presence in the war-torn country would intimidate the Taliban into accepting a political deal.

“As a soldier, my personal feeling is that there’s been enough fighting,” McChrystal was quoted as saying.

“I believe a political solution to all conflicts is the inevitable outcome — and it’s the right outcome,” he added, arguing that many Taliban militants thought al-Qaeda was a negative influence.

McChrystal went on to suggest that the dialogue would offer even Taliban leaders a chance to be involved in the government on the condition that they lay down their arms.

He also urged participants in the London conference, which opens on Tuesday, “to walk out of London with a renewed commitment, and that commitment is to the right outcome for the Afghan people.”

This is while a communiqué leaked to The Times newspaper on Monday suggested that the conference will conclude on an agreement that sees international forces remaining in the war zone for yet another five years.