General Myers says the US will stay in Afghanistan as long as necessary

Speaking on a visit to Kabul, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Richard Myers said the US was committed to remaining in Afghanistan to ensure the installation of a democratic government there.

General Myers assured his hosts that US commitments in Iraq would not divert American resources intended for Afghanistan.

The US military commander is in Afghanistan after day-trips to India and Pakistan.

His visit to Kabul comes a day after the State Department confirmed reports that the US was preparing a new aid package worth $1bn to help rebuild Afghanistan.

General Myers is meeting Afghan Defence Minister Marshal Fahim and other officials, as well as the commanders of the international security force based at the Bagram airbase near Kabul.

Denials

Following the war in Iraq, Afghan leaders, including President Hamid Karzai, had aired concerns that US attention and resources could be diverted from their country to Iraq.

General Myers' visit appears designed to allay such fears.

"The US is committed... to be here as long as it takes to finish the Bonn process," he told reporters at Bagram, referring to the conference in Germany which established the Karzai government.

"I don't think the war in Iraq has taken any of the resources away from the fight against international terrorism, specifically al-Qaeda."

General Myers denied reports that in Islamabad he had asked Pakistani leaders to deploy peacekeepers to Iraq.

"I didn't do that; that will be their decision," he said. "We discussed the situation in Iraq, surely, and I think they understand that any participation would be much appreciated."

Earlier, before leaving India for Pakistan, he had made similar denials about putting pressure on Delhi to deploy its troops in Iraq.