By Mike Wooldridge BBC correspondent in Kabul

As nearly 2,000 delegates gather in Kabul for the loya jirga, the council that will shape Afghanistan's future, the international security force in the country says it has taken measures to counter any potential terrorist threat to the gathering.

The loya jirga is due to start on Monday.

Its main tasks will be to choose a head of state and a new authority to run Afghanistan until elections in 2004.

Delegates are coming from all corners of Afghanistan for the gathering based on the country's traditional form of decision making that will take place in a huge tent on the edge of this mountain-ringed city.

It is a crucial stage in the process of putting Afghanistan on the path from war to democracy.

Potential threat

The British-led International Security Assistance Force, ISAF, is guarding the site with a newly trained Afghan battalion.

Padshah Khan has warned of renewed fighting

An ISAF spokesperson told a news conference on Sunday that while there had been no specific threat to the loya jirga, they were aware that there was a disaffected minority that could try to disrupt the event.

Extensive security measures are being taken to deal with any potential threat from al Qaeda or remnants of the Taleban but there could also be others who have grievances.

A warlord from south-eastern Afghanistan, Padshah Khan, has warned that there could be renewed fighting if the former king does not become head of state - an issue likely to stir controversy at the very start of the loya jirga.

But the overwhelming public mood seems to be one of hope, not least among the Afghan refugees now streaming home in numbers that are beyond all expectations.