Afghan Defence Ministry spokesperson Major General Zahir Azimi suggests strategy for fighting terrorism

KABUL (PAN): The international community should focus on wiping out terrorist training centres, presumably in Pakistan, and destroying funding sources to defeat Taliban and al-Qaeda networks, a defence ministry spokesman said on Wednesday.

Addressing a joint news conference with NATO spokesman Michael E. Finney, Major Gen. Zahir Azimi alleged foreign militants had stepped up attacks on Afghan and foreign forces.

He said the rebels targeted what remains of Afghanistan’s infrastructure.

Azimi added the guerrillas, who initially attacked Afghan and foreign soldiers, had shifted their focus to blowing up the infrastructure of Afghanistan such as highways, dams, hospitals and schools.

In response to a query, he said Afghan forces - helped by the NATO-led soldiers, had adopted new initiatives to blunt the rebel plan.

However, he would not go into the details of the strategy.

Speaking on the occasion, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) spokesman Michael E. Finney verified an increase in attacks by foreign militants.

He said there had been an uptick in their assaults in southern and southeastern Afghanistan.

"We are worried about long porous border between Afghanistan and Pakistan," he remarked.

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