PRESIDENT Barack Obama rejected the Afghanistan war options before him and asked for revisions, his defence secretary has said, after the US ambassador in Kabul argued that a significant US troop increase would only prop up a weak, corruption-tainted government.

The US envoy in Afghanistan has objected strongly to emerging plans to send tens of thousands of additional forces to the country, a senior US official said last night.

Nato took over eastern Afghanistan from US-led forces today, assuming control of 12,000 US troops and expanding their security mission to the entire country.

Nato was today set to expand its security mission to the whole of Afghanistan, taking command of more than 13,000 US troops in the east of the country.

Nato will soon assume direct control over most military operations in Afghanistan, a move that will place 12,000 more US troops under its authority, a spokesman for the alliance has said.

AMERICAN soldiers in Kabul who witnessed the attack on the Pentagon paid tribute yesterday to victims of the 9/11 attacks.

The shadow of al-Qaida fell across Afghanistan after Osama bin Laden’s top deputy called the country’s landmark elections a farce, and the US military commander here warned of more Taliban rebel attacks.