Afghan peacekeepers issue Iraq warning

Hundreds of Turkish troops are in Afghanistan on peace-keeping duty

By Ian MacWilliam BBC reporter in Kabul

Peacekeepers in Kabul say a war in Iraq would increase the chance of attacks on foreigners in Afghanistan.

The commander of the International Security Force (Isaf), Major-General Hilmi Akin Zorlu, said that if there were a war, Isaf would take precautions to protect foreigners.

Karzai (L) and Major-General Hilmi Akin Zorlu (R)

He added that, overall, security in the capital was improving.

But he said that in the event of war in Iraq, there may be many sympathisers in Afghanistan because of the two country's shared Muslim religion.

Those at risk, he said, were those working for Isaf and US troops, as well as United Nations staff and other foreigners in the country.

Regular attacks

Isaf's Turkish commander said his force would take extra security measures to help defend all foreigners if necessary.

American forces hunting for Taleban and al-Qaeda remnants in eastern Afghanistan have come under regular attack from armed people opposed to their presence there, but attacks in Kabul have been relatively rare.

There were two grenade attacks in Kabul last month, one against American soldiers and another against an Isaf base, but General Zorlu said these were isolated incidents.

In general, he said, security in the capital continued to improve.

Arms finds

The international force frequently finds caches of weapons and ammunition in Kabul.

The most recent incident was last week, when some explosive material was removed from a school in the city.

Schools are on holiday at the moment and no further details were given about this incident.

Most weapons and explosives appear to be left over from earlier fighting and the general said it is unlikely they are connected with any terrorist activity.

Turkey is currently leading the international force in Kabul, but Germany and the Netherlands are due to take over joint leadership early in February.