The un Security Council has given a green light to NATO to expand its peacekeeping mission throughout Afghanistan to help improve security, a move long sought by the Afghan government. But so far only Germany has offered more troops.

　　The 15-member council unanimously approved a resolution sponsored by Germany late on Monday to allow the 5,500-strong international force to operate beyond the capital, Kabul, after NATO's secretary-general, Lord Robertson, sent a letter requesting the expanded mission.

　　Us ambassador John Negroponte, the council's president for October, said the United States "proceeded cautiously on this ... in part because there was an absence of countries who were willing to undertake missions outside of Kabul."

　　He said Washington supported the expansion because "there is a willingness, at least to a limited extent, to undertake missions outside of Kabul" since NATO took over command of the multinational force, known as ISAF, in August from Germany and the Netherlands.

　　German and Canadian troops make up the bulk of the current force. With the resolution adopted, Germany will now seek parliamentary approval for an expanded force of between 230-450 troops who will deploy in the northern city of Kunduz, Germany's UN Ambassador Gunter Pleuger said after the vote.

　　"If this is successful we hope that this is considered as a pilot project that could be copied in other parts of Afghanistan," he said.

　　In the Afghan capital Kabul, President Hamid Karzai welcomed the UN decision.

　　"This is what the Afghan people have been asking for since the beginning of the interim administration and I'm glad that the voice of Afghans for better security has been heard by the international community," Karzai said in a statement.

　　Two weeks ago, Pleuger said the expanded force being envisioned would have inter-national troops deployed to eight separate urban "islands" across the country including Herat in the west, Kandahar in the south and Kunduz and Mazar-e-Sharif in the north.The aim would be to duplicate the relative success of the International Security Assistance Force, known as ISAF, in bringing stability to Kabul in key provincial cities. Pleuger said as a second stage, once the cities are stabilized, the plan envisions linking the eight "ISAF islands" using mobile military units.

　　The afghan government, which took over after the US-led coalition ousted the Taliban militia, has little control in most of the 32 provinces,swheresgovernors often rule like warlords with private militias. Karzai warned that unless the world steps up its reconstruction aid and sends more troops, Islamic radicals could regain control in Afghanistan.

　　Meantime, hundreds of Afghan troops backed by US soldiers and helicopters have attacked a suspected Taliban hide-out in southern Afghanistan, killing at least four rebels and an Afghan soldier, Afghan and US officials said yesterday.Eight suspected Taliban fighters have also been captured in the operation and five Afghan troops were wounded.