KABUL: The Afghan army must triple in size to protect this war-wracked country, and the international community should channel money now spent on their own forces into training more local troops, the Afghan defence minister said on Wednesday.

Abdul Rahim Wardak also predicted ongoing anti-insurgent efforts will slash raging violence here within three months. But his comments came as a suicide attack and market bombing killed three Afghan civilians.

Mr Wardak, a US-educated former mujahedeen commander who fought Soviet forces during their 1979-89 occupation, said plans for a 70,000-strong Afghan army, proposed following the Taliban’s ouster in late 2001, were inadequate to deal with a current spate of violence and protect the country from outside threats.

“The minimum number we can survive on within this complex, strategic environment ... (is) 150,000 to 200,000, which should also be well-trained and equipped, with mobility and firepower and logistical and training institutions,” Wardak told The Associated Press during an interview in his Kabul office.

“We want to survive and be able to defend ourselves against external and internal threats.”

Afghan’s army currently numbers around 27,000, while another 60,000 lesser-equipped police are also in place.

They compliment more than 20,000 US-led coalition troops and about 10,000 NATO forces, which are expected to increase to 16,000 by late July.

But Wardak said the international community should direct money spent on its forces into increasing the size of Afghanistan’s army. He said the amount of money some coalition nations spend on one of their own soldiers could create 50 to 100 Afghan troops.

“We think if we stand on our own feet (then) the coalition and the international community saves a lot of money in the long run, will not be compelled to deploy large formations of their forces and save lives,” he said.

More than 20 western soldiers have died since mid-May in the bloodiest period of post-Taliban violence. Eighteen US troops died in June alone, the second deadliest month for American forces here.

More than 700 people, mainly militants, have also been killed during the past two months, according to a tally of western and Afghan figures.

In a bid to curb the violence, more than 10,000 US-led coalition and Afghan soldiers are taking part in a massive anti-Taliban sweep across southern Afghanistan.

Wardak blamed the increased bloodshed on several factors, including the weakness of the Afghan defence forces, increased terror infiltration, financing from outside the country and widespread poverty that has pushed some men to join militant groups to earn money.

“The main problem is across the border (in Pakistan) where most of the elements have sanctuaries and training camps,” he said.

“They have madrassas that indoctrinate people _ really hardcore radicals that want to have an Islamic government.”

Pakistan has long rejected Afghan claims that it is not doing enough to stamp out militants using its soil to launch attacks in Afghanistan.

Wardak said, however, that the ongoing Operation Mountain Thrust in the south combined with replacements of ineffective regional police and army commanders and the increase of NATO troops would crush the insurgent threat.

“I think within two to three months there should be a considerable improvement in the region,” Wardak said.

But violence continued across Afghanistan on Wednesday.

A bomb hidden in a fruit cart exploded in a market in the southern town of Spin Boldak, near the southern Pakistani border, killing two men and wounding eight others, the area police chief said.

But the US military released a statement saying the blast was caused by a suicide bomber. It was not immediately possible to reconcile the account.

A suicide attack on a US military convoy in the east killed one child and wounded three. Two American soldiers were also wounded, officials said.

Guerillas also attacked western and Afghan forces on Wednesday with rockets and machine guns in southern Helmand province’s Nawzad district, US military spokesman Sgt. Chris Miller said. There were no details on insurgent casualties and no coalition forces were wounded.—AP