The three tracks, which include military offensive, civilian campaign and intensified diplomatic push, will reinforce each other, Clinton said at Asia Society in New York while honoring Richard Holbrooke, the US special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan who died last December.

Clinton said the first two efforts of military and civilian campaigns will set the table for the third.

“As promised, we are launching a diplomatic surge to move this conflict to a political outcome, to shatter the alliance between Taliban and Al Qaeda, end the insurgency and help to produce not only a more stable Afghanistan but a more stable region,” she said.

Under the plan, the US plans to triple its number of diplomats, development experts and other specialists on the grounds. There are now more than 1,100 civilian experts from nine US federal agencies working in Afghanistan in addition to the 100,000 troops.

Clinton described over-reliance on military power as short-sighted and self-defeating. “We can never kill enough insurgents to end this war. The military campaign must proceed hand in hand with civilian efforts that help Afghan government build credibility with its own people and provide incentives for Afghans to renounce violence and work together towards a better future.”

She said that the US is willing to reconcile with its Taliban adversary as long as they “renounce violence, abandon their alliance with Al Qaeda and abide by the Afghan constitution.”

“Taliban militants will have to decide whether they are better off working within the Afghan political system, rather than fighting a losing battle by siding with Al Qaeda,” Clinton said.

“Break ties with Al Qaeda, renounce violence, and abide by the Afghan constitution, you can rejoin the Afghan society. Refuse and you will continue to face the consequence of being tied to Al Qaeda as an enemy of the international community.”

Al Qaeda and Taliban “cannot wait us out and they cannot defeat us. And they cannot escape this choice,” she said.

Clinton explained that the reconciliation with the adversary could be as brutal as the Taliban. “It sounds distasteful and even unimaginable.”

Clinton also said the Afghan government must be prepared to be more inclusive and more accountable. All parties will have to commit to a pluralistic political system that respects the human rights of every Afghan and women in particular, according to the secretary of state.

While Clinton said that Al Qaeda and Taliban cannot wait the US out, she also said the US will begin the transition next month, with troop reduction starting in July and continuing based on conditions on the ground. “It will be completed by the end of 2014,” she said.

“Afghans must ultimately take responsibility for their own future: security, to strength government and to reach a political solution to the conflict,” she said.

Clinton reassured the world that the US will not repeat its mistakes to walk away from the region as in 1989 after the Soviets withdrew its forces from Afghanistan. “Our commitment is real and enduring,” she said.

Clinton said she is confident that the newly appointed envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman has the “ability to hit the ground running.”

The 59-year-old Grossman is vice-president of the Washington-based international consulting firm The Cohen Group. He joined the group in 2005 after 30-year diplomatic career as undersecretary of state for political affairs.

Analysts believe that Grossman, who is known as a low-key diplomat in contrast to the more aggressive predecessor Holbrooke, took the job at an extremely difficult time when US-Pakistan relations deteriorate after Raymond Davis, a US embassy worker, was accused of killing two Pakistanis in Lahore.

It was reported that several other career diplomats who were approached for the job declined the offer for one reason or another, revealing a lack of confidence of a winning strategy in Afghanistan.

Bruce Riedel, senior fellow of foreign policy of Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, described Grossman’s job of special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan as one of the toughest jobs in US foreign policy.