An Australian defence force commander in Afghanistan says he believes military victory against the Taliban is achievable.
The comment came as Foreign Minister Alexander Downer ahs said Australian forces would remain in Afghanistan for as long as necessary, during an unannounced visit to Kabul.
Colonel John Frewen has told the ABC that NATO-led forces can defeat the Taliban.
"The Taliban are not offering a viable alternative here, they don't offer a viable system of government, they are extreme in their views and are divisive in what they offer the population.
"I think militarily we can defeat them but politically they can be defeated as well," he says.