LONDON — Western powers must be ready to commit ground forces to the fight against militants from the Islamic State group because airstrikes alone won't defeat these “fanatical” extremists, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said today.

Writing on his Faith Foundation website, Blair said it would be better if the troops were to come from those closer to the fighting, such as Iraqi or Kurdish forces, but this may not be enough.

“There is real evidence that now countries in the Middle East are prepared to shoulder responsibility and I accept fully there is no appetite for ground engagement in the West,” Blair said in an essay dated today. “But we should not rule it out in the future if it is absolutely necessary.”

The U.S. and France have launched airstrikes in hopes of weakening the group. Blair, whose final years in office were defined by the unpopular and much-criticized British engagement in the Iraq war, said that diplomacy and humanitarian work aren't enough to fight groups like Islamic State.

“Because the enemy we're fighting is fanatical, because they are prepared both to kill and to die, there is no solution that doesn't involve force applied with a willingness to take casualties in carrying the fight through to the end,” Blair wrote.

KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghanistan's new president-elect says he wants Afghan women represented at the highest levels of government, including on the Supreme Court.Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai planned to hold a news conference after being announced by the election commission as president. His opponent for president, Abdullah Abdullah, will fill the newly created role of chief executive in a national unity government.Ghani Ahmadzai said in a statement that he is committed to ensuring that women are well represented in government and the education and economic sectors. Ghani Ahmadzai also said Afghans should remember that poverty, lack of education, income equality and insecurity are the country's enemies, and not their fellow citizens.“It's a victory for democracy,” Ghani Ahmadzai said. “We have turned the page and written a new chapter in our long and proud history — the first peaceful democratic transition between one elected president and another.”