PM against coalition forces' pre-mature exit from Afghanistan

Citing continued threat posed by terrorism emanating from Afghanistan, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has asked the world community to stay engaged there and not to think about "pre-mature exit" as it could embolden terrorists.

Citing continued threat posed by terrorism emanating from Afghanistan, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has asked the world community to stay engaged there and not to think about "pre-mature exit" as it could embolden terrorists.

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Singh, who will be meeting and discussing with President Barack Obama the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan on Tuesday, said India and the US needed to do more in cooperation in counter-terrorism.

"One thing that I would like to say is that we greatly welcome and support the commitment and involvement of the world community to promote peace and stability in progress in Afghanistan," Singh said at the US India Business Council in
response to a question.

"I sincerely hope that the world community will have the wisdom to stay engaged in that process and premature talk of exit would only embolden the terrorist elements who are out to destabilise not only our part of the world but the
civilized world everywhere," he added.