MUNICH - During the second day of talks at the Munich Security Conference on Sunday, President Ashraf Ghani implored European and other world leaders to remain vigilant and engaged in the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan, even while new crises emerge in Arab nations.

Ghani warned that terrorism remains a global threat, a point many other conference participants made. But Ghani's concern that the NATO coalition withdraw and events surrounding groups like the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and al-Qaeda in the Arab peninsula might cause Western allies to shift away from Afghanistan entirely and abandon its struggle with militant extremism was one that captured a worried sentiment shared by many Afghans.

"We feel the threats, but it is important to remember that because of the threats that Libya and Syria are facing, Afghanistan must not be forgotten," Ghani told fellow statesman on Sunday.

Over the past few months, the U.S. and a coalition of European and Arab nations have launched air strikes against ISIS, the president of Yemen was deposed and Islamists in Libya continued to gain ground. All around the Arab world, a rapid deterioration of political and social conditions appears compelled by an expanding brand of militant extremism. Recent attacks in France, Canada and Australia have fed the resurgent frenzy around the threat of international terrorism.

But many in Afghanistan cannot help but me more self-concerned, with the threat posed by the Taliban and other terrorist groups inside the country still a very real and present danger. In Munich, President Ghani promised that relations between Afghanistan and Europe nationals would strengthen, and that the sacrifices made by their soldiers over the past 13 years would not be forgotten.

"In the region, we have experience with countries who provide safe haven to terrorists and support them," Ghani said. "Also, there are non-governmental actors who threaten our security and it must be made clear that the era of interference is long gone."

The Munich Security Conference is not an event intended to facilitate the formation of specific policies or agreements, though analysts say the meetings between world leaders will allow for discussions regarding plans for supporting the global struggle against terrorism. (Tolonews)