Terrorism still threatens Afghanistan

KABUL -- Terrorism and extremism remained major threats to post-Taliban Afghanistan and the stability of the region, Dr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta, the Afghan national security advisor, said on Thursday, calling for collective efforts to overcome the menace.

"Despite the huge sacrifices by Afghans and other nations over the past decade, terrorism and extremism have remained major threats to the region and the world at large," Spanta said at Afghanistan-Central Asia Dialogue-I, a regional conference, held here.

The conference was held by Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies (AISS), an Afghan research center, in Kabul to enhance regional cooperation with the country's central Asian neighbors.

The event has brought together prominent experts from Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kirghizstan and Kazakhstan, among others, to exchange views on issues of mutual concerns and interests.

Spanta said military action is not the only way to fight terrorism and extremism, saying "the only way to deal with those threats and overcome the challenges is through regional cooperation and collective efforts."

He also called upon neighboring countries to strengthen their fight against the evil forces of terror and drugs to ensure the common interest of the region.

He made the comments as the war-torn country is due to take over the leadership of its own security duties from NATO and U.S. troops by the end of 2014, when most of foreign troops will leave the country.

Government forces are taking the lead in providing security in areas where more than 90 percent of the country's 30 million population lives.

Conflicts and Taliban insurgents-led attacks claimed the lives of more than 2,700 Afghan civilians and injured more than 5,000 non-combatants from January 1 to November 30 this year, according to Afghan and U.N. Assistance Mission officials.