Foreign secretary says senior commanders must be included in any future political solution
U.K. foreign secretary David Miliband told a NATO parliamentary assembly that “high-level (Taliban) commanders that can be persuaded to renounce al-Qaeda and pursue their goals peacefully,” would be included in future Afghan governments. This plan is meant to encourage Taliban soldiers to stop fighting and will be implemented as part of a political move to restore Afghans faith in their corruption-tainted government. Miliband’s announcement comes after Prime Minister Gordon Brown hinted at establishing an exit strategy for his troops and asked for a January 2010 NATO meeting to establish a timeframe for transferring full control of Afghanistan to the country’s government.