Afghan suicide attack 'kills 11'

31 July 2011 Last updated at 08:40 GMT The attack targeted the gate of the police headquarters in Lashkar Gah

Ten Afghan policemen and a child have been killed in a suicide attack in the southern Afghan city of Lashkar Gah, officials say.

The attacker targeted the gate of the police headquarters in the city, the capital of Helmand province.

The Taliban said it had carried out the attack, which also wounded 12 people.

Responsibility for Lashkar Gah was recently handed to Afghan forces as part of a plan to return all security to local forces by the end of 2014.

High-profile raids

The attack reportedly targeted a joint Afghan police and army patrol at the compound.

Daoud Ahmadi, spokesman for the Helmand provincial governor, said that in addition to those killed nine policemen and three civilians were injured.

Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi told Agence France-Presse news agency the group had carried out the attack.

Helmand remains a flashpoint of the Taliban insurgency and has cost the lives of more foreign troops than any other province.

Lashkar Gah is one of seven initial areas for which security has been handed to Afghan forces as part of the gradual transition of control from the Nato-led Isaf.

Sunday's attack follows a series of high-profile Taliban raids.

Last week an attack by insurgents in the southern Afghan town of Tarin Kowt in Uruzgan province left at least 22 people dead, including BBC reporter Ahmed Omed Khpulwak.

On 27 July, the mayor of Kandahar, Ghulam Haidar Hameedi, was killed in a suicide attack.

Two weeks earlier, President Hamid Karzai's influential half-brother, Ahmad Wali Karzai, was killed in the same city.

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French troops die in Afghan blast

13 July 2011 Last updated at 12:33 GMT Most foreign troops in Kapisa are French At least five French soldiers and one civilian have been killed in a suicide bomb attack in the north-eastern Afghan province of Kapisa, officials say.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy confirmed the soldiers had been killed while on duty in the Tagab valley. A number of others were wounded.

The troops were guarding local tribal leaders when the bomber struck.

Mr Sarkozy visited Afghanistan on Tuesday and announced 1,000 French troops would leave by the end of 2012.

The bomber walked up to the French troops who were standing by their armoured vehicles before detonating his explosives, Reuters news agency quotes a local official as saying.

"A terrorist set off a bomb close to the soldiers wounding four other French soldiers seriously and three Afghan civilians," President Sarkozy's office said in a statement.

It is thought to be the heaviest loss of life France has suffered in Afghanistan since 10 of its soldiers were killed in a Taleban ambush in the Sarobi area east of Kabul in August 2008. Another 21 were wounded.

Fighting has intensified across Afghanistan in recent months.

Last month a suicide bomber killed eight people at a police academy in Kapisa.

The Taliban said they carried out that attack, which happened shortly before the French ambassador was due to visit the area.

French soldiers have been part of the Nato-led operation in Afghanistan since 2001.

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Pakistan in Afghan border threat

12 July 2011 Last updated at 15:46 GMT Pakistan is a vital ally for the US, but ties have deteriorated Pakistan's defence minister has said the country could withdraw troops from the Afghan border in response to a US cut in military aid.

Ahmed Mukhtar said Pakistan "cannot afford" to keep troops in the remote region without the financial support.

The US has said it is cutting $800m (?500m) in aid over "difficulties" in its relationship with Pakistan.

On Monday, Pakistan said the cuts would not affect is operations against al-Qaeda and other militant groups.

The money is about a third of the total annual US military aid Islamabad receives. Much of the aid is intended to reimburse Pakistan for deploying troops along the Afghan border, where militants seek sanctuary.

"If at all things become difficult, we will just get all our forces back," Mr Mukhtar told Express 24/7 television in an interview to be aired on Tuesday night.

"If Americans refuse to give us money, then okay. I think the next step is that the government or the armed forces will be moving from the border areas.

"We cannot afford to keep military out in the mountains for such a long period."

Public anger

The BBC's Ilyas Khan in Islamabad said that while the defence minister's statement does worsen the ongoing row between the US and Pakistan, there is no likelihood of the army being pulled out.

Pakistan is currently engaged in two major military operations in Mohmand and Kurram, and recently reasserted its commitment to combating terror groups in the region.

Continue reading the main story 2 May: US announces Bin Laden's death and says Pakistan not warned of raid14 May: Pakistan MPs demand review of US ties26 May: US announces withdrawal of some US troops at Pakistan's request27 May: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visits to try to soothe relations2 June: Top US military chief Adm Mike Mullen admits "significant" cut in US troops in Pakistan10 June: CIA head Leon Panetta visits Pakistan; US admits "slow progress" in healing ties8 July: Adm Mullen says Pakistan sanctioned killing of a journalist; Pakistan angrily rejects this10 July: US suspends $800m of military aidIf the army were to withdraw, it would create a security vacuum in the border region and would complicate US plans to gradually withdraw troops from Afghanistan, our correspondent adds.

Pakistan is a vital ally for the US, but ties have deteriorated following the killing of Osama Bin Laden in May.

Islamabad is angry that it was not told about the US raid in advance, while the US has questioned how Bin Laden was able to live undetected in a major garrison town.

There is also growing public anger in Pakistan over the US use of drone attacks on suspected militant targets, which often cost civilian lives.

Pakistan recently expelled more than 100 US military trainers and has threatened to shut down a CIA base.

On Sunday, White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley said the US was holding back "some of the money that the American taxpayers have committed to give" until the two countries had worked their way through "difficulties" in their relationship.

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Afghan veteran gets top US honour

12 July 2011 Last updated at 21:38 GMT Barack Obama presented the medal to Sgt Petry in a ceremony at the White House

A US Army ranger has been awarded the Medal of Honor, America's highest military medal, for his actions in a firefight in Afghanistan.

In a 2008 battle in Paktia province, Staff Sgt Leroy Petry of New Mexico was shot in both legs and lost a hand while trying to toss away an enemy grenade.

The award recognises his "gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty".

Sgt Petry is just the second active US military member to receive the award.

The first recipient, Staff Sgt Salvatore Giunta, received his award in November 2010.

Heavy fire

President Barack Obama placed the medal around Sgt Petry's neck at a ceremony at the White House on Tuesday.

"This is the stuff of which heroes are made," Mr Obama said. "This is the strength, the devotion that makes our troops the pride of every American. And this is the reason that - like a soldier named Leroy Petry - America doesn't simply endure, we emerge from our trials stronger, more confident, with our eyes fixed on the future."

After the ceremony, Sgt Petry sought to divert attention toward his comrades and to their families.

"To be singled out is very humbling. I consider every one of our men and women in uniform serving here, abroad, to be our heroes," he said.

"They sacrifice every day and deserve your continued support and recognition."

In May 2008, Sgt Petry's unit of elite Army rangers approached a house in Paktia province in eastern Afghanistan which intelligence suggested held high-value al-Qaeda officials, the US military said.

Continue reading the main story US Civil War (1861-1865): 1,522World War I: 124World War II: 464Korean War: 133Vietnam War: 246Somalia (1993 "Blackhawk Down" mission): Two posthumousIraq: Four posthumousAfghanistan: Five including Sgt Petry (three posthumous)The unknown, unidentified British WWI soldier buried at Westminster AbbeyThe unknown, unidentified French WWI soldier buried at the Arc de TriompheThe unknown, unidentified Belgian and Romanian soldiers, honouring those who fought alongside US troops in WWI

Source: US Department of Defense

He and another soldier came under heavy fire while crossing the courtyard, and both were wounded - Sgt Petry shot through both legs.

Sgt Petry led the other ranger to cover, then threw a grenade at the enemy fighters. The enemy fighters responded by closing in and returning fire, including by throwing grenades, one of which landed close to him.

"Instantly realising the danger, Staff Sgt Petry, unhesitatingly and with complete disregard for his safety, deliberately and selflessly moved forward, picked up the grenade, and in an effort to clear the immediate threat, threw the grenade away from his fellow rangers," the award citation reads.

The grenade exploded as it left Sgt Petry's right hand, severing it and further wounding him. Sgt Petry applied a tourniquet to his wrist, then radioed for support.

Highest military medal

Sgt Petry has completed two tours in Iraq and six in Afghanistan and has told the military he hopes to remain in the army. He and his wife have four children.

The Medal of Honor is America's highest military medal for valour in combat. It was first granted in 1863 during the American Civil War.

It has been awarded more than 3,400 times, and more than 80 recipients are still living.

The award comes with a $1,000 (?628.41) monthly pension, invitations to presidential inaugural ceremonies and festivities, and other privileges.

In November, the US awarded the Medal of Honor to Staff Sgt Salvatore Giunta, the first soldier still on active duty ever to receive the award.

He also became the first living recipient of America's highest military decoration since the Vietnam War.

Sgt Giunta was given the award in recognition of his bravery during a firefight in the Korengal valley in Afghanistan.

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Roadside bomb kills Afghan family

2 July 2011 Last updated at 09:00 GMT US troops overseeing reconstruction work in Zabul province, and on the look-out for Taliban, close to the Pakistan border At least 11 members of a family have been killed by a roadside bomb in the southern Afghan province of Zabul.

The family, including women and children, were thought to be refugees returning home from Pakistan.

They were driving their van through Shamulzayi district when the blast occurred. They are thought to have been heading for Ghazni province.

Roadside bombs are a weapon commonly used by the Taliban in their war against western forces.

Earlier this week, 20 Afghan civilians were killed when the bus they were in hit a roadside bomb in Nimroz province in southwest Afghanistan.

Elsewhere about 500 demonstrators chanting "Death to the Pakistan military!" and "Long live Afghanistan!" protested in Kabul against rocket attacks along the border with Pakistan.

At least 36 civilians are estimated to have died in the attacks in recent weeks.

Pakistan has denied that it fired the rockets into Afghanistan.

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Nato 'kills top Afghan militant'

30 June 2011 Last updated at 13:56 GMT Smoke billows from the Intercontinental Hotel after the Tuesday night attack Nato forces in Afghanistan say they have killed a senior militant they suspect of involvement in the attack on the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul.

Ismail Jan died in an air strike in the eastern province of Paktia on Wednesday, the alliance said.

BBC correspondents say he is a leading commander in the Haqqani network, which is linked to the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

Nato and Afghan intelligence believe Haqqani members helped mount the hotel attack, which left 22 people dead.

The Interior Ministry says nine attackers were killed as well as 11 civilians and two police.

There has so far been no independent confirmation of Ismail Jan's death.

'Precision air strike'

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the hotel attack, but Nato said it was carried out jointly with the Haqqani network.

The group has bases in the tribal region of Waziristan in Pakistan, but focuses its attacks over the border in Afghanistan.

It has been accused of carrying out a number of high-profile gun and bomb attacks in Afghanistan in recent years.

Afghan officials also say the network has close ties to Pakistani intelligence services.

A statement from the Nato-led Isaf force said Jan was suspected of providing "material support" to the hotel attackers in Kabul.

It said he had been killed in what it called a "precision air strike" in Gardez district.

"Ismail Jan was the deputy to the senior Haqqani commander inside Afghanistan, Haji Mali Khan. Jan and several Haqqani fighters were killed in the strike," the statement said.

It added that he had been tracked down after information from Afghan officials, citizens and "disenfranchised insurgents".

Ismail Jan operated in and around the Khost-Gardez pass, a rugged and heavily forested area near the Pakistan border, and was blamed for leading attacks on Nato and Afghan targets.

Securing the porous and volatile border between Pakistan and Afghanistan has presented a major challenge for security forces in both countries.

On Thursday General Aminullah Amarkhel, the border police commander for eastern Afghanistan, resigned. He said Kabul and Nato had failed to act after Pakistani rockets were fired into Afghan territory.

Last week Afghan officials accused the Pakistani army of firing hundreds of rockets over the border. Pakistan denies this but says a few stray rockets may have crossed the border as the army battled militants in the area.

The army says that in recent weeks insurgents have crossed over from Afghanistan and attacked villages in Pakistan's tribal areas.

Many of the militant groups along the frontier are closely linked.

'Lapses'

In Kabul, meanwhile, the BBC has seen photos showing at least two of the Intercontinental attackers wearing police uniforms, raising questions about whether the militants received inside help.

In other photos large amounts of rocket-propelled grenades, heavy machine guns and bullets were left behind by the dead insurgents. Investigators want to know how they got their weapons inside the hotel.

Previous attacks in Kabul and elsewhere have led intelligence officials to conclude that the Haqqani network has penetrated Afghan security at the highest level.

The BBC's Bilal Sarwary in Kabul says several police officials are now being questioned over what many see as glaring security lapses at one of the capital's apparently most secure locations.

Afghan forces are also accused of being slow to arrive on the scene once Tuesday night's attack had started.

Nato air support had to be called in before calm was finally restored.

Correspondents say the Intercontinental, which is not part of the international hotel chain of the same name, is one of Kabul's most heavily guarded hotels.

But a security ministry official told the BBC that the militants could have exploited a loophole in security caused by renovation work.

Kabul - the scene of many attacks over recent years - has been relatively stable so far this year, although violence has increased across the country since the killing of Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan on 2 May, and the start of the Taliban's "spring offensive".

In January 2008, militants stormed the capital's most popular luxury hotel, the Serena, and killed eight people, including an American, a Norwegian and a woman from the Philippines.

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Afghan central bank chief flees

28 June 2011 Last updated at 10:59 GMT Mr Fitrat has left Afghanistan for the US The governor of Afghanistan's central bank, Abdul Qadeer Fitrat, has resigned and fled the country, saying his life is in danger for investigating fraud.

He said the government had interfered in his efforts to pursue those responsible for corruption at the privately-owned Kabul Bank.

Mr Fitrat was speaking from the US where he has residency. He says he will not return to Afghanistan.

An Afghan government spokesman said the resignation amounted to treason.

Waheed Omar, Afghan President Hamid Karzai's spokesman, also added that Mr Fitrat was himself under investigation.

"My life was completely in danger and this was particularly true after I spoke to the parliament and exposed some people who are responsible for the crisis of Kabul Bank," Mr Fitrat said on Monday.

The embezzlement at Kabul Bank, Afghanistan's largest private bank, almost led to its collapse last year after it was discovered that hundreds of millions of dollars had gone missing. The bank handles up to 80% of the government payroll, including salaries for policemen and teachers.

A run on the bank was only avoided by the injection of massive amounts of public funds and government guarantees.

'Investigation blocked'

Investigators say that the bank made hundreds of millions of dollars of inappropriate loans. It was founded in 2004 by Sherkhan Farnood, a leading international poker player.

The bank was bailed out in September, which is when the central bank also took control of its finances. Mr Fitrat, as president of the central bank, was in charge of an investigation into what went wrong.

Continue reading the main story 2004: Kabul Bank founded by international poker player, Sherkhan FarnoodSeptember 2010: Kabul Bank taken over by the central bank after a run on the bank amid fears of its collapseFebruary 2011: Abdul Qadeer Fitrat, central bank governor, tells BBC those involved in bank's woes should be prosecutedFebruary 2011: An IMF report recommends the bank be put in receivershipApril 2011: Mr Fitrat, names in parliament prominent Afghan figures in connection with the Kabul Bank scandalMay 2011: Report by anti-corruption office shows $467m (?290m) of outstanding loans were made without appropriate collateralAs the crisis at Kabul Bank unfolded, President Karzai pledged to fully investigate those involved in the crisis.

But Mr Fitrat alleges that the central government did not assist him in the investigation or provide any help in recovering the bank's assets.

"During [the] last 10 months during Kabul Bank crisis, I continuously pressed for the creation of a special prosecution, for the creation of a special tribunal to investigate and prosecute those who were involved in Kabul Bank's fraud," he told the BBC.

"I did not receive any information that there is a credible plan to prosecute, to investigate and prosecute these individuals. The high political authorities of the country was responsible [for blocking] these efforts," he alleged.

He said he left the country after he received information that his life was in danger from "credible sources".

In April, Mr Fitrat publicly named in parliament high-profile figures who were allegedly involved in the near collapse of the bank.

Relatives of President Karzai, including his brother, Mahmoud Karzai, were among those named in connection with the scandal. Mr Fitrat also implicated the brother of Vice-President Qasim Fahim.

Both men - who were major shareholders in the bank - deny the charges. They say they are being targeted because of their position

'Foreign advisers' Kabul Bank was taken over by the Afghan central bank in September 2010

President Karzai has said Afghanistan lacks the necessary banking experience to oversee the institution and has blamed foreign advisers for the crisis.

He has also pledged to ensure that those responsible are subject to criminal investigations.

The International Monetary Fund wants the Afghan government to wind down Kabul Bank before it releases the funds for a new assistance programme. A recent IMF report said the bank should be placed in receivership.

Britain has already suspended a $140m (?85.6m) payment in aid to the country following the crisis.

"We take note of Governor Fitrat's decision to step down as central bank governor," IMF spokesman Raphael Anspach is quoted by the Wall Street Journal as saying.

"We look forward to continue discussing with his successor ways to improve the Afghan banking system in the period ahead."

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Warrant for Afghan ex-bank chief

28 June 2011 Last updated at 15:40 GMT Mr Fitrat has said he has no plans to return to Afghanistan from the US Afghan officials have issued an arrest warrant for the former governor of the central bank, Abdul Qadeer Fitrat.

He is being investigated in connection with massive fraud at the privately owned Kabul Bank and the printing of unauthorised amounts of currency.

Earlier, it emerged Mr Fitrat had fled Afghanistan for the US - he said his life was in danger for exposing fraud.

He said the Afghan government had hindered his attempts to investigate corruption.

Afghanistan's Deputy Attorney General Rahmatullah Nazari said he would ask the US embassy and Interpol for help in securing Mr Fitrat's arrest.

"He will be brought here to face the judiciary. We will follow him," he told the BBC.

"There are some serious charges against him. He needs to answer all of them.''

Continue reading the main story 2004: Kabul Bank founded by international poker player, Sherkhan FarnoodSeptember 2010: Kabul Bank taken over by the central bank after a run on the bank amid fears of its collapseFebruary 2011: Abdul Qadeer Fitrat, central bank governor, tells BBC those involved in bank's woes should be prosecutedFebruary 2011: An IMF report recommends the bank be put in receivershipApril 2011: Mr Fitrat, names in parliament prominent Afghan figures in connection with the Kabul Bank scandalMay 2011: Report by anti-corruption office shows $467m (?290m) of outstanding loans were made without appropriate collateralCharges made against Mr Fitrat include that he financially mismanaged the bank, sabotaged the country's economy, ignored advice from other government institutions and did not adequately observe private banks.

The US - where Mr Fitrat has residency - does not have an extradition treaty with Afghanistan. He has said he has no plans to return to Afghanistan.

The embezzlement at Kabul Bank, Afghanistan's largest private bank, almost led to its collapse last year after it was discovered that hundreds of millions of dollars had gone missing.

The bank handles up to 80% of the government payroll, including salaries for policemen and teachers.

In April, Mr Fitrat accused several key Afghan officials - including President Hamid Karzai's brother and Vice-President Qasim Fahim - of being involved. Both deny the charges.

Then on Monday, he told reporters he had had to leave the country after receiving information that his life was in danger from "credible sources".

'Difficult job'

Mr Fitrat alleges that the central government did not assist him in his investigations or provide any help in recovering the bank's assets.

Continue reading the main story Bilal Sarwary Kabul

Relations have been frosty between the West and Kabul over the issue of corruption. The case of Kabul Bank was closely followed by the international community and the Afghan people - most were hoping all those involved would be prosecuted.

Resolving the issue is crucial in ensuring aid money continues to flow into Afghanistan. The International Monetary Fund wants the Afghan government to wind down the bank before it releases a new assistance programme.

Billions of dollars in international aid hinge on that programme.

"During [the] last 10 months during the Kabul Bank crisis, I continuously pressed for the creation of a special prosecution, for the creation of a special tribunal to investigate and prosecute those who were involved in Kabul Bank's fraud," he told the BBC.

"I did not receive any information that there is a credible plan to prosecute, to investigate and prosecute these individuals. The high political authorities of the country were responsible [for blocking] these efforts," he alleged.

President Karzai has said Afghanistan lacks the necessary banking experience to oversee the central institution and has blamed foreign advisers for the crisis.

He has also pledged to ensure that those responsible are subject to criminal investigations.

The UK Department for International Development said Mr Fitrat's resignation was "regrettable", and that he had done "a difficult job handling a complex set of challenges".

"It is absolutely critical that the government of Afghanistan chooses a good quality replacement with thorough knowledge of the banking sector," it said in a statement.

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France follows US Afghan pullback

23 June 2011 Last updated at 10:08 GMT President Obama: "America, it is time to focus on nation-building at home"

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has announced the phased withdrawal of its 4,000 soldiers serving in Afghanistan.

A statement said the French would follow the timetable of US withdrawals announced by President Barack Obama.

Mr Obama said 10,000 US troops would pull out this year, with another 23,000 leaving by the end of September 2012.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai welcomed the move, but the Taliban dismissed it as "symbolic" and vowed to continue fighting until all foreign forces left.

At least 68,000 US troops will remain in the country after the 33,000 have been withdrawn, but they are scheduled to leave by 2013, provided that Afghan forces are ready to take over security.

However the US reductions just announced are larger and faster than military commanders had advised.

They told the president that the recent security gains were fragile and reversible, and had urged him to keep troop numbers high until 2013.

Correspondents say the enormous cost of the deployment - currently more than $2bn (?1.25bn) a week - has attracted criticism from Congressional leaders, while the public are weary of a war that seems to have no end and has left at least 1,500 personnel dead and 12,000 wounded.

There have also been changes on the ground, notably the killing in May of al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden by US forces in Pakistan.

Mission change

Mr Sarkozy's announcement came shortly after that of Mr Obama's, and followed a telephone discussion between the two leaders on Wednesday, said the Elysee Palace - the presidential office - in a statement.

Continue reading the main story

This is a moment when President Obama can do what was unthinkable two years ago. He can defy the Pentagon. Early in his presidency it would have been too risky to ignore military advice”

End Quote Mark Mardell BBC North America editor The withdrawal of the approximately 4,000 serving French troops would be progressive and would take place "in a proportional manner and in a timeframe similar to the pullback of the American reinforcements", it said, beginning in the coming months.

The French president "stressed that France shared the American analysis and objectives and that it was happy with President Obama's decision".

Mr Obama's announcement, after a month-long strategy review, outlined the exit of the forces he sent to the country at the end of 2009 as part of a "surge".

In his speech, he said he had set clear objectives for the surge in December 2009 - to refocus on al-Qaeda, to reverse the Taliban's momentum, and train Afghan security forces to defend their own country.

His administration also stated the commitment would not be open-ended and that the withdrawal would begin in July 2011, he added.

"After this initial reduction our troops will continue coming home at a steady pace as Afghan security forces move into the lead. Our mission will change from combat to support."

Continue reading the main story Paul Wood BBC News, Kabul

With this announcement, President Obama has asserted civilian control over the military strategy in Afghanistan. The generals had wanted to keep their combat strength at the same level for this summer and next.

The political realities, including a certain war weariness on the part of the American public, dictated otherwise. Nato commanders believe they have begun to stabilise the south of the country but that some hard fighting remains ahead.

Increasingly that will fall to the Afghan police and army.

President Obama's announcement may also have a big psychological impact. Almost 70,000 US troops will remain but if Afghans think the West is running for the exits, some at least will consider switching sides to the Taliban.

The BBC's Paul Adams in Washington says the speech was all about reassuring the American public that the "tide of war" was receding.

Six thousand Americans have died in Iraq and Afghanistan and $1 trillion has been spent.

The initial withdrawal is expected to happen in two phases, with 5,000 troops coming home in coming months and another 5,000 by the end of the year.

The remainder of the surge reinforcements - 20,000 combat troops and an 3,000 deployed to support the operation - will be out by the end of September 2012, in time for the US presidential election.

Our correspondent says this is a quicker pace than most analysts predicted, and suggests the president does not feel he needs to leave the bulk of the surge force in place for another fighting season.

The second largest contributor to the international force in Afghanistan is the UK, which has more than 10,000 soldiers including special forces.

It has pledged to pull back forces by 2015 - and earlier if conditions allow.

US administration officials told the New York Times that the US military commander in Afghanistan, Gen David Petraeus, had not endorsed Mr Obama's decision. He recommended limiting initial withdrawals and leaving in place as many combat forces for as long as possible, they said.

Outgoing Defence Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reluctantly accepted the reductions, the officials added.

Serious doubts remain about whether Afghan forces will be up to the task.

But President Karzai welcomed Mr Obama's announcement as "a good step for their benefit and the people of Afghanistan".

"I want the people of Afghanistan to be safe in their country with their own capable means," Mr Karzai said.

Security fears

There was a more ambivalent response from senior Afghan security officials who spoke to the BBC.

They stressed that neither the army nor police were yet capable of handling security alone, citing problems of enemy infiltration, drug addiction, and high desertion rates.

An Afghan official with the country's National Security Council said he hoped the withdrawal would take place progressively, and not in one fell swoop.

Continue reading the main story Dec 2004: 19,200Dec 2005: 22,400Dec 2006: 22,200Dec 2007: 25,700Dec 2008: 31,400Dec 2009: 71,000Dec 2010: 103,700March 2011: 111,000

Source: US defence department

"We look for a long-term commitment from the United States and the international community, one that will not allow Afghanistan to fall back to the pre-civil war and Taliban days," the official, who did not want to be named, told the BBC.

"We want to remind everyone, history shows that if you turn your [back] on Afghanistan, it will have negative consequences for you."

But a farmer in a volatile district in the north-eastern province of Kundoz told the BBC: "As far as I am concerned, the American forces didn't make a difference to me and my village. So if they leave it won't affect me.

"They supported militias, commanders who kill, rape and loot here. They are hated for that at my village.''

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Obama 'nears Afghan troop move'

21 June 2011 Last updated at 00:15 GMT Afghan forces are due to take over all security operations by 2014 US President Barack Obama is close to a decision on the size of his planned withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and is expected to speak on the issue on Wednesday.

"He's finalising his decision. He's reviewing his options," White House spokesman Jay Carney said.

The US has about 100,000 troops in Afghanistan and Mr Obama has said troop withdrawals will start in July.

But there are deep divisions in the US over the size and speed of the pullout.

News of Mr Obama's deliberations comes a day after departing US Defence Secretary Robert Gates confirmed that the US was holding "outreach" talks with members of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

It was the first time the US had acknowledged such contact.

'Gains could be threatened'

Mr Obama is expected to make a public speech on Afghanistan on Wednesday, unnamed senior White House officials told US media.

US military leaders are thought to favour a very gradual reduction in troops but other advisers advocate a more significant decrease in the coming months.

Attention is expected to focus on how many troops will leave Afghanistan in July, but analysts say Mr Obama's plans for the future of the 30,000 surge forces he sent in 2009 in the country will also be closely scrutinised.

Earlier this month, Mr Gates said at Nato headquarters that "substantial progress" was being made on the ground in Afghanistan.

But he argued that "these gains could be threatened if we do not proceed with the transition to Afghan security lead in a deliberate, organised and co-ordinated manner".

"Even as the United States begins to draw down in the next month, I assured my fellow ministers there will be no rush to the exits on our part."

But some believe security gains mean a more rapid withdrawal of US forces is practical.

'Costs outweigh benefits'

There is also growing political pressure for a significant withdrawal.

A bipartisan group of 27 US senators sent Mr Obama a letter last week pressing for a shift in strategy.

"Given our successes, it is the right moment to initiate a sizable and sustained reduction in forces, with the goal of steadily redeploying all regular combat troops," the senators wrote. "The costs of prolonging the war far outweigh the benefits."

While many Afghans accept that American troops are needed to defeat the Taliban, correspondents say that they resent their presence in the country.

The war is in its 10th year, civilian casualties are at an all-time high, and correspondents say the population has grown weary of the fighting. Insurgents are to blame for most of the deaths, but killings by foreign troops generate widespread outrage.

The US is due to start withdrawing its 97,000 troops from Afghanistan in July.

It aims to gradually hand over all security operations to Afghan security forces by 2014.

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Blast 'kills 10' Afghan labourers

24 May 2011 Last updated at 13:40 GMT Many of the wounded are in a critical condition, doctors say At least 10 road workers were killed and 28 injured in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar when their truck hit a roadside bomb, hospital officials say.

No group has said it carried out the attack. Last week gunmen shot dead 35 highway workers in Paktia province.

Road workers are frequently targeted by Taliban militants.

The Taliban recently declared a "spring offensive" of attacks. This is the fourth attack in as many days.

The labourers, who worked for a local construction firm called Nisa, were on their way to work when the bomb went off in rural Panjwayi district of Kandahar province.

According to the health director of Kandahar, Abdul Qayum Khan, 18 of the 28 injured are in critical condition.

The BBC's Bilal Sarwary in Kabul says attack comes only weeks after Nato forces conducted operations in the district, allowing for the reconstruction of roads and much-needed irrigation canals.

Only on Monday, our correspondent says, Nato commander Gen David Petraeus was in the district praising the reconstruction work and newfound security in the area.

Kandahar is considered to be the spiritual homeland of the Taliban. Earlier this month the city effectively came under siege as insurgents attempted to seize control of several government buildings.

There are also frequent attacks on security forces, both foreign and Afghan, operating across the province.

Soldier arrested

Over the last week there has been a dramatic escalation in the frequency of attacks nationwide.

On Saturday, a suicide blast at a hospital in Kabul killed six people and on Sunday gunmen stormed a government building in the city of Khost, also killing six. On Monday, a suicide blast killed four people in a crowded market place in eastern Laghman province.

A spokesman for Afghanistan's NDS intelligence agency told reporters on Monday that several insurgents had been arrested in connection with Saturday's attack.

One of those arrested is an Afghan National Army soldier working at the hospital. The spokesman said the soldier had provided the attacker with a uniform and valid ID card to help him get into the hospital.

Correspondents say that although Nato says it is making progress against the insurgents, the Taliban are still able to strike at will including at the heart of the Afghan government, often in its most heavily guarded bases.

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