November 23, 2008	Sunday	Ziqa'ad 24, 1429

KABUL, Nov 22: Afghanistan could oppose the presence of foreign troops on its soil if they did not cooperate with Afghan forces to defeat the Taliban-led insurgents across the country, the foreign minister said on Saturday.

President Hamid Karzai and his government have become more vocal in recent weeks in their criticism of western forces in Afghanistan and their failure to quell the escalating Taliban insurgency after more than seven years of conflict.

Top Taliban and Al Qaeda leaders are still at large and security is getting worse by the day, raising doubts about the prospects of stability in Afghanistan.

Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta said Karzai had recently told nations with troops in Afghanistan to dispatch their soldiers to the border to block militants reportedly moving from Pakistani territory. Failure to do so would push the Afghan government to voice opposition to the presence of foreign troops.

“For the Islamic state of Afghanistan, it is by no means bearable any more for parts of our country to be under the occupation of criminals, drug traffickers, Al Qaeda and terrorist Taliban,” Spanta told a news conference.

“We earnestly want the international community to cooperate with Afghanistan’s national police and army to bring back those areas under the government’s control,” he said. “Otherwise, Afghanistan’s government will not agree (to the presence of foreign troops).”

Spanta said he hoped the 41 nations with troops under Nato and US command in Afghanistan would listen to the government’s demand, but if they did not Kabul would rely on its own security forces, despite the dangers that would entail.

More troops

The Pentagon is considering a plan to send more than 20,000 troops to Afghanistan over the next 12 to 18 months to help safeguard elections and quell rising Taliban violence, US officials said.

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said he and top commanders had discussed sending five brigades to Afghanistan, including four brigades of combat ground forces as well as an aviation brigade, which a defence official said would consist mainly of support troops. An army combat brigade has about 3,500 soldiers. —Agencies