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Kabul, Nov 20 (ANI): The British troops will continue to stay in Afghanistan “until their job is done”, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said here today in a joint press conference along with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
Praising Karzai for bringing “remarkable progress in the country”, Blair said, “The roots of the Taliban, Al-Qaida, this type of global terrorism around the world, are deep and where they gained a foothold in a country like Afghanistan, it is going to take time to banish that for good."
The recent resurgence of the Taliban in the southern province of Afghanistan has led to wide concerns in the region.
Admitting that more time would be required to completely uproot terrorism from this part of the world, Blair said, “International forces are gaining ground against the Taliban, but I believe the battle is winnable.”
Afghan President, who has been complaining of Pakistan’s “non-cooperation” in taking action against the terrorist groups along the Pak-Afghan border expressed hope that situation would improve with other country’s support.
Reaffirming his country’s commitment for Afghanistan, Blair said, “I want to recommit ourselves to say that we will be with you (Karzai) in this endeavour," adding, “We came to Afghanistan because the sickness and evil that was in Afghanistan came to us”.
Stating that the coming back of the Afghan refugees is one of the important sign of improvement in Afghanistan, Blair said, “Now they have come back, and more are returning as we talk, from our neighbourhood and from the rest of the world."
Earlier in the day, Blair visited the British troops positioned at Camp Bastion in Helmand province in south Afghanistan. He met 800 British servicemen and women present in the camp and thanked them for their outstanding work.
He also met General David Richards, the British officer commanding the NATO force in Kabul later and discussed the prevailing situation in the Afghanistan. (ANI)
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