Miliband stresses Afghanistan's future, importance of aligning military and poli

LONDON, Nov. 17 -- British Foreign Secretary David Miliband on Tuesday stressed the long-term future of Afghanistan and the importance of aligning military operations with a clear political strategy.

Miliband's comments come after British Prime Minister Gordon Brown offered to host an international conference in London next year to set a timetable for transferring security responsibilities to Afghan forces, starting from next year.

Speaking at NATO's parliamentary assembly held in Edinburgh, Miliband said: "I, as much as anyone else, want to bring our troops back home to safety, but we cannot leave a vacuum which the Taliban will quickly fill."

"This is not a war without end, but success must be based on aligning our military and civilian resources behind a clear political strategy," he said.

In addition, Miliband called for a political settlement to persuade high-level Taliban commanders to renounce al Qaeda and pursue their goals peacefully.

In his annual speech at the Lord Mayor's banquet on Monday evening, Brown said: "I want that conference to chart a comprehensive political framework within which the military strategy can be accomplished."

"It should identify a process for transferring district by district to full Afghan control and, if at all possible, we should set a timetable for transfer starting next year, in 2010."

Brown said the mission in Afghanistan was vital to British security, adding that "we must not allow this process to be reversed by retreat or irresolution."

A total of 234 British soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since the war started in 2001. Many critics have chastised the lack of equipment for troops, and several military commanders have resigned, questioning the mission's overall strategy.