US general urges continued fight for Afghan citizens' rights post-troops pullout

The international community has been warned not to turn its back on Afghanistan by the commander of international forces in Afghanistan.

General Joseph Dunford told the BBC that democratic progress could be threatened by the end of international combat operations in Afghanistan in 2014.

He said without continued support from foreign politicians, basic rights of the citizens were in no way guaranteed.

General Dunford is the last commander of NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), and is expected to remain in the post until the end of next year, when NATO combat troops are scheduled to leave, the report said.

According to the report, the last commander of the ISAF mission revealed that when combat troops left, there would still be five main bases for international troops in Afghanistan.

General Dunford said Afghan forces were getting good enough to fight the conflict, but stressed that talking to the Taliban was critical for the country's future, and talks with the Taliban would be essential, sooner or later, the report added.