November 13, 2008	Thursday	Ziqa'ad 14, 1429

LONDON, Nov 12: More international troops are needed in the south of Afghanistan, the country’s foreign minister said on Wednesday, and they must be ready to engage in active fighting against insurgents.

Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta, who is visiting Britain this week with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, said international efforts to train the Afghan military to handle security by itself remained vital for the long term, but in the meantime more foreign fighting troops were needed.

“For the short-term strategy ... we need more forces in the south, and the south-east ... to control cross-border terrorist activities,” Spanta told BBC radio.

“But these troops have to be fighter troops, to be active in this part, to respond to terrorist activities.”

“The military option is not the only option — but it is still, in the south part of Afghanistan, the relevant option to fight terrorism,” he said.He added it was vital “to destroy the sanctuaries of terrorists and cross-border terrorist activities in this part of the world”.

“The problem of terrorism is not only a national problem ...it is mainly a regional problem affecting Afghanistan’s security, the security of Pakistan and of this part of the world.”—Reuters