Afghanistan urges regional front against militants

INDIA: Afghan President Hamid Karzai urged the nations of central and south Asia to forge a united front against militant groups he said posed the greatest danger to to the region's future.

Afghanistan's stability was critical to security and prosperity in a region which contained major energy reserves and the booming Indian economy, Karzai told the opening of a conference on rebuilding his shattered country.

"We also recognise that Afghanistan's stability is an asset for the region, whereas an unstable Afghanistan will undoubtedly put the vision of a peaceful and prosperous region in jeopardy," he told the gathering in the Indian capital New Delhi.

"To win this war, we need the enduring partnership of solid and unwavering allies," Karzai said. Afghanistan has repeatedly accused Pakistan of not doing enough to stop the Taliban and other armed groups sheltering and training in its borderlands.

After being quickly toppled from power by U.S.-led forces in 2001, the Taliban has regrouped, bolstered by money from the illegal opium trade and the ability to shelter in Pakistan, the United States and its allies say.

About 3,700 people have been killed so far this year, 1,000 of them civilians and more than 150 of them foreign soldiers.

"We are concerned at the increasing terrorist violence in certain parts of southern and southeastern Afghanistan that has not only undermined the security of Afghanistan but hindered the ongoing development effort," said the host of the two-day conference, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. "Dealing with this challenge is a collective responsibility."

Representatives of countries in the region, including Pakistan, are attending the conference with officials from G8 countries, the United Nations and global financial institutions.

On the agenda are investment, trade and the rebuilding of Afghan infrastracture, shattered by decades of war.

NATO leads a 31,000-strong international military force in Afghanistan. The United Nations' chief representative in Afghanistan Tom Koenigs warned in an interview on Saturday in Britain's Guardian newspaper NATO could not defeat the Taliban alone and had to train the fledgling Afghan army up to the task.

NEW DELHI, Sunday, Reuters.