January 24, 2002	Thursday	Ziqa’ad 9, 1422

KABUL, Jan 23: A senior UN official said on Wednesday that Afghanistan may need 30,000 peacekeepers, many more than planned, amid concerns factional fighting and lawlessness will hamper the nation’s efforts to recover from more than two decades of war.

Reported clashes between rival militia in northern Afghanistan highlighted the problems facing the interim administration here despite pledges of 4.5 billion dollars in international aid.

Plans are in the works to deploy a 5,000-strong multinational force in the central Asian country, essentially for Kabul, and some troops are already on the ground.

But UN envoy Francesc Vendrell said it may not be nearly enough.

Vendrell, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan’s deputy special representative for Afghanistan, said 30,000 soldiers, empowered to defend themselves if attacked, could be needed.

“The international force needs to be deployed beyond Kabul and the Afghans want it — even the warlords say they want it,” Vendrell was quoted as saying by the BBC.—AFP