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LONDON, England (CNN) -- The British government should refocus its objectives in Afghanistan and concentrate on one priority: security, a House of Commons committee said in a report released Sunday.
British soldiers patrol in Baba Ji district of Helmand province last month after retaking it from the Taliban.
The report also criticizes the NATO mission in Afghanistan, saying the lack of a unified vision and strategy is jeopardizing the military alliance's reputation.
Britain has moved away from its initial goals of counterterrorism in Afghanistan and has started working on areas it isn't able to handle alone, the Foreign Affairs Select Committee said in the report, which examines security in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Focusing on security is the only way that Britain and its allies will achieve long-term stability in Afghanistan, the report said.
"The U.K. has experienced mission creep from its initial goal of supporting the U.S. in countering international terrorism, far into the realms of counter-insurgency, counter-narcotics, protection of human rights and state building," said committee chairman Mike Gapes. Watch a British soldier speak out against the war »
"It is clear that despite the commendable efforts of the (British Foreign Office) in adopting a broad-ranging, holistic approach to tackling narcotics in Afghanistan, success in that area depends on a range of factors which lie far beyond the control and resource of the U.K. alone."
The committee recommends that the United Nations and the NATO force in Afghanistan, ISAF, join with the Afghan government to take over counter-narcotics operations from Britain.
Security in Afghanistan "will remain precarious for some time to come," but in no way must the international community abandon Afghanistan, the report said. source: cnn.com