United Nations: A top UN envoy has warned that time was running out in Afghanistan to defeat the Taliban insurgency and asked the international community to change its "mindset" for a success in the war-torn country.
Briefing the Security Council, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan Kai Eide said Tuesday, "I must emphasise that doing more of the same is simply not an option any more".
"This is decision-time in Afghanistan and for Afghanistan," Eide said, adding "a number of critical decisions will be made over the next weeks (that) will determine the prospects for success in ending a conflict that has become more intense in the last months".
He said that good governance and sustainable economic development would be the key factor in providing political stability in the war-torn country. "The government must demonstrate readiness to fight corruption and strengthen its institutions," he added.
"I think that more troops are certainly needed, particularly to do one thing: we need to build up the Afghan security forces quickly -- both the army and the police," Kai told reporters.
"That will, by necessity, need more troops, not only for the training, but also for the mentoring in the field. It is quite inevitable," he added.
Bureau Report
