KABUL - Afghan interim leader Hamid Karzai headed for the United States on Sunday as troops from the international security force poured into Afghanistan amid fears renegade al Qaeda and Taliban fighters were regrouping.

As United Nations chief Kofi Annan wound up a two-day visit to Iran designed to shore up Tehran's backing for the rebuilding of its neighbour, Karzai was expected in Washington where he will meet US President George W Bush today, a diplomatic source in Kabul said Saturday.

The two would also talk about the war on terrorism, as well as aid and reconstruction issues, the source said.

Afghan foreign ministry spokesman Omar Samad added that Karzai would ask for "closer and greater co-ordination" between the US military and Afghan authorities.

Speaking on Radio Kabul before his departure late Saturday, Karzai stressed the need for unity and security in Afghanistan, where reports of factional fighting have raised concerns about the stability of the one-month old administration.

"People should participate in the task of rebuilding the country with sincerity and devotion," the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) quoted Karzai as saying.

Karzai's trip follows a fresh pledge by Washington to pursue remaining pockets of al Qaeda and Taliban fighters, believed to be regrouping in remote corners of Afghanistan.

US forces raided a camp of Afghan nomads in eastern Khost province on suspicion that Taliban and al Qaeda members were hiding with them, the AIP reported Sunday. No Taliban nor al Qaeda were found.

Reports of factional clashes have fuelled increased calls for the international security presence in Afghanistan to be expanded beyond Kabul, where some 2 500 soldiers are already on Afghan soil, an international security force (ISAF) official said Sunday.

UN officials have suggested as many as 30 000 troops could be needed to stabilise the whole country.

And in an interview in the Monday issue of Newsweek, Karzai says he is open to the idea of expanding the international force's mandate.

"All the delegations I've received from the countryside have asked me to send the security force all over the country, and I don't see why not," Karzai said.

A total of 4 500 soldiers from 17 countries are expected in Afghanistan by mid-February.

In Tehran, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan looked to secure support from Iran for the reconstruction of Afghanistan, but avoided direct comment on allegations Iran has been arming Afghan warlords, a potential threat to the fragile interim government in Kabul.

Meanwhile, the parents of some 300 Pakistani al Qaeda and Taliban fighters who are imprisoned in northern Afghanistan called Sunday for their release alleging they were being "tortured" by their Afghan and American captors.

And in a sign that the US military presence in Afghanistan is not likely to end in the near future, it emerged Saturday that Washington was negotiating with Pakistani aviation companies to use ground-handling facilities at Karachi international airport.
Local media reported that aviation authorities had assigned a portion of the airport to the US-led military forces for the transit of goods and personnel to Afghanistan. - Nampa-AFP