London: The United States, Britain and other NATO allies can expect to make more sacrifices and take new casualties as the war in Afghanistan escalates, US Vice President Joe Biden said in an interview broadcast on Thursday.
But Biden said the effort to secure the country ahead of
Afghanistan`s Aug 20 presidential election was worth it. He
said much of the terrorism threatening the West had its roots
in Afghanistan`s porous border with Pakistan and that the area
produced much of the world`s heroin.
"It is a place that, if it doesn`t get straightened out,
will continue to wreak havoc on Europe and the United States,"
Biden told BBC radio from the Georgian capital of Tblisi.
Biden said the additional US troops being poured into the
country were engaging the Taliban rebels on new fronts,
meaning "there is likely to be additional casualties."
Addressing a public that has been unsettled by spike in
fatalities, Biden told Britons that their fight was a
necessary one.
"In terms of national interest of Great Britain, the US
and Europe, (the war in Afghanistan) is worth the effort we
are making and the sacrifice that is being felt," he said,
before warning that "more will come."
Bureau Report
