A representative of the Afghan ambassador to the United States told students and staff at Utah Valley University that only through continued international engagement and support can his war-torn country evolve into a stable democracy and remain a key player in helping the world win the war on terror.

M. Ashraf Haidari, the deputy chief of mission and political counselor to Afghanistan's ambassador to the U.S., Said T. Jawad, presented a brief overview of his country's history and more recent achievements and challenges to a standing-room only audience in UVU Digital Learning Center auditorium. In a last- minute change, Haidari gave the speech on behalf of Jawad, who was called away on urgent business to meet today with military representatives of President-elect Barack Obama's transition team in Washington, D.C.

Increased violence committed by Taliban and insurgent forces in the country's southern and eastern provinces, Haidari said, has become the biggest single threat to the nation's stability despite significant progress since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City.

A lack of resources (including military troops from the West), teachers, jobs and adequate pay for government employees in those areas is fueling the resurgence in Taliban and al-Qaeda activity, he said. Improvised explosive device and suicide-bomber attacks against civilians and coalition forces have increased significantly in the last two years.

"Where this [support] has not happened, the Taliban have stepped in to fill the vacuum," Haidari said.

Terrorist attacks are up 50 percent, and al-Qaeda has exported more deadly IED-making expertise gleaned from fighting American troops on the streets of Baghdad to Taliban forces on the roads of Afghan cities and byways, he said. "Where they used to just blow off the axle of a vehicle, now they are blowing up the whole vehicle," he said.

Rather than rapid-strike aerial bombings on suspected Taliban hideouts that have killed innocent civilians and generated resentment from residents in those areas, the United States needs to supply more special operations troops that can go into urban areas and root out the terrorist fighters who hide among civilian populations, Haidari said.

"[The Taliban] have no vision or leadership [except] to turn the country into a puppet regime with a version of Islam foreign to the Afghani people," he said.

While as many as 40 coalition nations have soldiers' boots on the ground in Afghanistan, only a relatively small percentage of them -- primarily American, British, Canadian and Dutch forces -- are being deployed to crisis areas where they are needed the most, he said.

Yet Kabul is encouraged by recent adjustments by U.S. military leaders and commitments from American policy makers, he said.

U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus, who helped turn around the war against insurgents in Iraq, has ordered a full review of U.S. military strategy in Afghanistan, Haidari said, and Obama has pledged to send approximately 20,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan to bolster security efforts in the south and east.

Haidari acknowledged the contributions and sacrifices of American servicemen and women (several of whom were seen in uniform in attendance during Monday's presentation) in helping to bring peace to his country.

Despite ongoing conflict, his country, with help from the West, has made sizable inroads to reform in health care, civil rights, education and infrastructure, he said. Today, approximately 27 percent of Afghanistan's national parliament is comprised of women (compared to 18 percent in the U.S. Congress). Women are also increasingly being incorporated into Afghanistan's army and police services.

Health care benefits have been extended to 85 percent of Afghan citizens compared to only eight percent in 2001. And while only 1 million children received some form of schooling under the Taliban, now over 6 million children are enrolled in public schools. Afghanistan has 3,500 schools built or rebuilt and there is now an American University in the country.

Economically, Afghanistan continues to enjoy double-digit growth with increased agricultural and livestock production. And as the world's second largest supplier of copper, Afghanistan recently signed a $3.4 billion deal with a Chinese firm to extract one of its many vast but untapped natural resources to strengthen its economy.

"What do the Afghan people wantfi We've been through 30 years of wars and destruction ...," he said. "They want to live in peace and security."