British Prime Minister Tony Blair shakes hands with Afghan President Hamid Karzai after a joint press conference at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, Nov. 20, 2006. (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery >>>

    BEIJING, Nov. 21 -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair says his country's troops will continue to fight in war-ravaged Afghanistan. He says the defeat of a resurgent Taliban is vital for local and international security. Blair was speaking on his first visit to the country in four years.

    During talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul, Blair said Afghanistan's progress was remarkable. He described southern and eastern Afghanistan, the strong hold area of Taliban, as the battleground for the global security in the 21st century.

    Blair said: "The roots of the Taliban, al-Qaida, this type of global terrorism around the world are deep. And where they gained a foothold, in a country like Afghanistan, it is going to take time to banish that for good. But on the other hand I think there is sufficient sign of progress here, that it should give us some hope for the future."

    The Afghan leader expressed hope that global help would continue in Afghanistan until its recovery was complete.

    Karzai said: "The international community will surely stay with us until we are firmly on our own feet, and when Afghanistan is firmly on its own feet, no evil force could return to Afghanistan."

    Complicating Afghanistan problems is its massive opium trade. Karzai said it would be naive to think this could end soon for future security and economic reasons. The Taliban wiped out poppy production in 2001, but it's now higher than at any time in history -- 90 percent of the world's total.

    Earlier, Blair met dozens of the 1,800 troops based at Camp Bastion, Britain's main southern base, near the southern Helmand provincial capital of Lashkar Gah.

(Source: CCTV.com)