OPINION:LAST YEAR was the bloodiest year of the conflict in Afghanistan. The UK lost more than 100 soldiers, each one a personal tragedy. Afghan national security forces suffered heavily and the number of civilians killed by insurgents increased, writes DAVID MILIBAND
But the stakes are high not just for our serving personnel and the people of Afghanistan, but for our national security, for the south Asian region, and for the credibility of the Nato alliance. That is why the British government has invited more than 70 countries and international organisations to the Afghanistan conference in London today.
In the 1990s, Taliban misrule in Afghanistan provided a safe haven for al-Qaeda. It was from there that the worst terrorist atrocity ever seen was planned and orchestrated. Our goal today remains as it was in the aftermath of 9/11: to ensure that al-Qaeda is not able to once again use Afghanistan as a base to attack innocents around the world.
Last year saw the election of a new Afghan government, a reinvigoration of the military strategy and an additional commitment to increase international troops by 60,000.
These developments are significant. But counter-insurgency is never won by military means alone. Politics is critical: the Afghan government and its allies must marshal all their resources behind a clear political strategy to win over the support of ordinary Afghans.
The London conference will focus on three critical elements of such a political strategy: security; governance and development; and regional relations.
The vast majority of Afghans do not want the Taliban back. But we need to overcome Afghan fear that the international community will pull out before the Afghan national security forces can provide protection from Taliban retribution. It is this that stops ordinary people from resisting or informing on insurgents.
Since 2007, the international community has invested heavily in training and mentoring the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police. Together these now number almost 200,000.
The conference will also consider how the roles of the international and Afghan forces should evolve. As the Afghan national security forces develop, they will need to assume – district by district, province by province – lead responsibility for security, as they already have in Kabul. If we are to integrate former fighters back into peaceful Afghan life, there needs to be a programme that offers genuine employment.
The Afghan people crave not just security, but the basics of government and development. Local and provincial government is chronically weak. Less than one-quarter of Afghanistan’s 364 governors have electricity and some receive only $6 a month in expenses. The Taliban are trying to step into the vacuum this leaves – appointing shadow governors, extorting taxes and enforcing a brutal form of justice.
The conference will consider how to build up local government and improve processes for future elections. The international community will also be looking to President Hamid Karzai to turn promises to tackle corruption into serious action. And we will focus on development assistance, because Afghans need schools, roads and agricultural support.
The final element is regional. Pakistan is the priority – militants have long passed freely across the 1,600-mile border between the two countries. But all Afghanistan’s neighbours are affected by the drugs, terrorism and migration that spill over its borders, and all have an interest in the country’s stability.
For too long Afghanistan has been a chessboard on which the struggles of others have been played out. Success demands all those involved align themselves to a clear political strategy too.
The conference will, I hope, be the first step to achieving this.
David Miliband is British foreign secretary